Obi (飫肥) is a district located in Nichinan, in the southern part of Miyazaki Prefecture, in the Kyushu region of Japan. During the Edo period, it was the Jōkamachi (castle town) of Obi Castle, which was the seat of the Obi Domain, which was ruled by the Ito clan. The district was originally planned and laid out in the early Edo period, and the historical townscape has been preserved to this day. The district has been designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in Japan, and is also known as the "Little Kyoto of Kyushu."
Geography and History
Obi district was originally a Fujiwara Shōen that was developed in the Heian period. It was located at a strategic location, with the important ports of Aburatsu (油津) and Sotonoura (外之浦) to the south, and the second largest city in the this region, Miyakonojō, to the west. Obi Castle was built on a hill in the Shirasu Plateau to the north of Obi district. The history of the castle is not clear, but it is believed that the Obi-in (office), one of the eight districts of Hyūga, that was placed in the manor during the manor period was the origin of the castle.
Obi District is surrounded by a Sakatani river on three sides: east, west, and south. The south side of the Sakatani river, the east side, and the north side of the castle are surrounded by mountains and hills, making Obi District a natural fortress in a basin shape.
In the late Muromachi period, in 1458, the Shimazu clan, which was based in the south of Kyushu, sent their vassal, Niiro Tadatsugu, who was the lord of Shibushi Castle, to Obi Castle in preparation for the invasion of the south of Kyushu by the Ito clan. In 1484, the Ito clan attacked Obi, and since then, the battle for Obi between the Ito clan and the Shimazu clan continued for about 100 years. In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi conquered Kyushu, and Itō Suketaka was awarded Obi Castle for his achievements. Since then, the Ito clan has ruled Obi Domain as a castle town with 51,000 Koku (石) for 14 generations for about 280 years until the abolition of the han (feudal) system in 1871 during the Meiji period.
Obi Castle was a medieval castle of the old type that used the natural terrain of the Shirasu Plateau. The castle was severely damaged by a major earthquake in 1684, but it was rebuilt in a modern style of Edo period with the use of stone walls. These stone walls still remain today. However, when looking over the entire castle layout, many parts still retain their natural terrain.
Obi Domain had a vast mountain range and a long coastline, but it had little flat land, so there was little good farmland and the production of agricultural products was low. As a result, the domain could not expect to earn revenue from agricultural products. Obi district was blessed with abundant forest resources, so the forest resources played a major role as the domain's main monopoly product in order to raise funds for the renovation of Obi Castle and the renovation of rivers. Obi district is a humid area, so the cedar trees in Obi grow quickly and have a lot of oil, making them light and elastic. These characteristics made them ideal for shipbuilding, and they became known throughout Japan. By 1800, the mountains within the domain of Obi had been transformed into cedar forests through the domain's reforestation efforts. The Obi cedar trees played a crucial role in supporting the domain's financial resources.
In the 1800s, the domain felt the need for modernization and human resource development, and the 13th lord of the domain, Itō Suketomo, opened the Shintoku domain school in 1831. The school produced many talented people, including Count Komura Jutarō, a diplomat of the Meiji period.
The Meiji Restoration resulted in the abolition of the han (feudal) system in 1871 and the demolition of all the buildings in Obi Castle.
From the Meiji period to the 1960s, the Obi district experienced a prolonged economic boom, primarily driven by the cedar trees planted during the Edo period.
In 1950, the towns of Obi, Agata, Aburatsu, and Togō, which were divided into small administrative districts, merged to become the former Nichinan City.
The city of Nichinan began a restoration project of Obi Castle in 1974 to attract tourists.
In 1977, Obi district was designated as the first National Important Traditional Building Group Preservation District in Kyushu region.
In 2009, the cities of Nichinan, Kitagō, and Nangō merged to form the present-day Nichinan City, and the city's territory became nearly the same as it was during the Edo period as the Obi domain.