Hiji Castle, also known as Yokoku Castle, Aoyagi Castle, and Ukitsu Castle, is a castle

Japanese castle

' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...

 located in Hiji

Hiji, Oita

is a town located in Hayami District, Ōita, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 26,872 and the density of 366.95 persons per km². The total area is 73.23 km².The town has a trappist monastery....

, Oita Prefecture

Oita Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.- History :Around the 6th century Kyushu consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The construction of the castle began in 1601, under Kinoshita Nobutoshi's orders, when he was transferred to Hiji from Himeji. The castle was designed by Nobutoshi's brother-in-law, Hosokawa Tadaoki. It holds a strategic location, as it overlooks Beppu Bay

Beppu Bay

Beppu Bay is an arm of the western end of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan.Beppu Bay is located on the northeast coast of Kyushu in Ōita Prefecture. The city of Ōita lies on its southern coast and the city of Beppu at its western end....

. Today, the castle's ruins (all that remains are the stone walls and the Sumi yagura

Yagura

Yagura is the Japanese word for "tower" or "turret." The word is most often seen in reference to structures within Japanese castle compounds, but can be used in a variety of other situations as well. The bandstand tower erected for Bon Festival is often called a yagura, as are similar structures...

) are a park, though Hiji Elementary School is also located on the grounds.

Sources

• http://www.we-love-oita.or.jp/kankou/english/Route02.html
• http://www.town.hiji.oita.jp/cgi-bin/odb-get.exe?WIT_template=AC020000&Cc=7d7b1c0b01000ab
• http://www.oita.netfirms.com/historicalsites.htm