Naka

Naka lies along the lower Naka River in Hitachi, around the castle town of Mito. The castle passed from local lords to the Satake family in the late sixteenth century. After the Satake were transferred away, Tokugawa Yorifusa, a son of Ieyasu, became lord of Mito in 1609. His descendants formed a prominent branch of the Tokugawa house, and their castle town became the political centre of the domain.