Amabe

Amabe lay on the eastern coast of Bungo, facing the channels between Kyushu and Shikoku. At Usuki, Ōtomo Sōrin built a castle in 1562 on Niu Island, protected by the sea on every side. Merchants from Ming China and Portugal came to the town, and a Christian community grew under Sōrin's patronage. In 1565 he granted land by the shore for a church and residence, giving the new faith a foothold beside his castle.