Brochure and Tickets for Kitsuki Castle Castle Stamp: Oita Prefecture, Kitsuki Castle Kitsuki Castle is also known as "Japan's smallest castle," but the view from the castle keep is superb. ■ About Kitsuki Castle Overview: Kitsuki Castle is a hirayama castle (castle built on a hill in a plain) that utilizes a peninsula. Due to its shape, it is also known as "Gagyujo" (Recumbent Ox Castle). The current castle keep is a mock keep (reinforced concrete construction) built in 1970 (Showa 45), but its appearance towering over the castle ruins evokes the past. History: Built by the Kitsuki clan, a branch of the Otomo clan, during the Kamakura period. Afterwards, the lords changed to the Hosokawa clan, the Ogasawara clan, and then the Matsudaira clan, and it flourished as the center of the Kitsuki domain throughout the Edo period. Other Names: At the time of its construction, it was named "Kitsuki Castle," but it came to be called "Kitsuki Castle" due to a clerical error in a letter from the Edo period. It is also called "Katsuyama Castle" because it withstood a fierce attack by a large army of the Shimazu clan for two months. Highlights: You can get a panoramic view of Beppu Bay and the Yasaka River from the castle keep. In addition, the surrounding area of the castle is a castle town that has been designated as a "historic townscape that suits kimonos," and you can enjoy a stroll.