Kuji

Kuji lies in northern Hitachi, along the river of the same name. The Satake family took its name from an estate in the district and established a stronghold at Ōta. Over the medieval centuries the family extended its power across northern Hitachi; under Yoshishige and Yoshinobu in the late sixteenth century, it brought the province together and moved its centre toward Mito. In 1602 the Satake were transferred to distant Dewa.