Kōshi

Kōshi in Higo was governed for centuries from Takaba Castle, also known as Kōshi Castle. Tradition attributes its foundation to Nakahara Morokazu, a steward sent from the Kantō in the early Kamakura period. The Takaba family and then the Kōshi family used it as their base for controlling the surrounding district. In 1585 it fell during fighting with the Shimazu of Satsuma.

The defences extended beyond the castle itself. A large outer enclosure surrounded residences, settlements, temples and farmland. An illustrated plan made by Ōtsuka Korenori in 1825 recorded the old castle and its surroundings in colour, with detailed annotations. Its depiction of roads, fields and dry moats preserves the memory of a fortified community long after the castle's medieval rulers had disappeared.