Akita

Akita lies near the mouth of the Omono River on the Sea of Japan, where a castle town grew beneath the hills of Kubota. In 1602 Satake Yoshinobu was transferred here from Hitachi. He began building Kubota Castle the following year and moved into it in 1604, leaving the older Minato Castle. Moats and earthen ramparts protected his new seat, while samurai residences and merchants' streets took shape below.