Ashikita

Ashikita lies on the coast of southern Higo, near the border with Satsuma. Above the road stands the site of Sashiki Castle, thought to have been built by Katō Kiyomasa after he received northern Higo in 1588. Its stone-walled defences guarded the frontier against the Shimazu. In 1592, while the castle commander was away, a Shimazu retainer briefly seized the stronghold in the uprising known as the Umekita disturbance.