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Obi Castle Town in Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, is known as the “Little Kyoto of Kyushu.” In 1977, it became the first location in Kyushu to be designated as a National Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Today, approximately 50,000 visitors come here each year.
However, reaching this point required more than 50 years of dedicated effort, as local government and residents worked together to confront the harsh reality of depopulation.
This article explores how Obi Castle Town succeeded in its revitalization efforts, examining the initiatives undertaken and the key factors behind its success.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture |
| Population | Approx. 49,000 |
| Preservation District Area | Approx. 19.8 hectares |
| Total Castle Town Area | Approx. 100 hectares |
| Preservation District Designation | 1977 (first in Kyushu) |
| Nichinan City Official Website | https://www.city.nichinan.lg.jp/ |
| Obi Castle Town Preservation Society | https://obijyo.com/ |
Why did Obi embark on its revitalization journey? The answer lies in its long history and the harsh realities that emerged after Japan’s period of high economic growth.
From 1588 until the early Meiji period, Obi flourished for approximately 280 years as the castle town of the Ito clan, lords of a 51,000-koku domain. The first lord, Ito Suketaka, was granted Obi Castle for his service in Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Kyushu campaign, and the Ito family would rule this land for 14 generations.
The castle town was developed on terrain surrounded on three sides by the Sakatani River, with streets laid out in a grid pattern modeled after Heian-kyo (ancient Kyoto). Residences were arranged by social rank, with high-ranking retainers closest to the castle, followed by middle-ranking retainers, townspeople, and lower-ranking retainers. Samurai residences were enclosed by stone walls made of Obi stone or cobblestones, with tea plant hedges on top.
However, from the 1950s onward, during Japan’s high economic growth period, Nichinan City experienced depopulation due to population outflow, much like many other regional cities.
Obi, which had once prospered as the political and economic center of the Minami-Naka District, was no exception. The shopping district was gradually losing its vitality.
Yet even amid these changes, the townscape—centered on Obi Castle with its samurai residences, Obi stone walls and gates, and traditional houses—had barely managed to preserve its historic appearance. The question of how to utilize these remaining historical assets became the starting point for Obi’s revitalization.
How did Obi respond to the crisis of depopulation? Through persistent and passionate efforts, local government and citizens aligned their steps toward a common goal.
In 1974, a newly elected mayor launched the “Obi Castle Restoration Project” as a city-wide revitalization initiative.
However, there was no independent funding source. The “Obi Castle Restoration Promotion Cooperative” was established to conduct fundraising campaigns throughout the city. Simultaneously, the city council passed a “Cultural Property Preservation City Declaration.” Together with pioneering municipalities in townscape preservation such as Takayama City, Kurashiki City, and Nagiso Town, they submitted a “Request for Townscape Preservation” to the national government, clearly establishing a “revitalization strategy utilizing the old townscape.”
The following year, 1975, the national government revised the Cultural Properties Protection Law to enable the designation of "Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings"—essentially creating a system for designating townscapes as “important cultural properties.”
Nichinan City immediately conducted a survey on traditional building group preservation for Obi Castle Town. In 1976, they enacted the “Nichinan City Traditional Building Groups Preservation District Preservation Ordinance,” and in May 1977, Obi became the first location in Kyushu to be designated as a National Important Preservation District.
The designation was granted because “it represents a typical small-scale castle town in a regional area, excellently expressing the historical atmosphere of samurai residences, and holds high value for Japan as a whole.”
The restoration project proceeded in stages.
In 1976, Shintokudo, the domain school of the Obi clan, was restored through citizen donations. Shintokudo was a domain school built in 1831 by Lord Ito Sukesuke, which produced many notable figures including Meiji-era diplomat Komura Jutaro and Ogura Shohei.
In 1978, the Otemon Gate was reconstructed and the Obi Castle Historical Museum was completed. The gate reconstruction was designed and supervised by Dr. Fujioka Michio, a leading castle researcher of the time. Using four Obi cedar trees over 100 years old provided by the Obi Forestry Office, the gate was built using traditional methods without a single nail. The result is an imposing wooden two-story turret gate standing 12.3 meters high.
The historical museum received numerous entrusted items—swords, armor, furnishings, and hanging scrolls—that had been carefully preserved in the samurai residences of the castle town.
In 1979, Matsuo-no-maru was completed. This recreation of an early Edo period shoin-style palace, built based on historical research, includes a bathhouse modeled after the Hiunkaku of the National Treasure Nishi Honganji Temple, allowing visitors to experience the lifestyle of feudal lords.
These restoration projects were largely supported by donations from citizens, people originally from the city, and volunteers. The consciousness of having “built this together as citizens” became a source of pride for the people of Obi.
Parallel to the government-led Obi Castle restoration project, resident-led initiatives also progressed. The Honmachi Shopping District became the symbol of this movement.
Honmachi Shopping District, with over 400 years of history as the merchant quarter of Obi Castle Town, was already losing vitality due to depopulation. Then came news of a bypass plan for National Route 222, adding insult to injury.
If the bypass were completed, passing vehicles would completely skip the shopping district—a matter of survival for local businesses. In 1970, the shopping district formed the “Honmachi Street Widening Promotion Association” and persistently petitioned the prefectural and national governments. As a result, they succeeded in getting the bypass plan changed to widening of the existing road in 1973.
However, as widening construction began and white-walled merchant houses were demolished one after another, the shopping district residents realized the value of what was being lost.
In 1978, they formed the “Honmachi Street Townscape Study Group.” After visiting advanced preservation sites nationwide and collecting materials, they decided on voluntary agreements without government assistance:
These five rules enabled the creation of a Japanese-style shopping district befitting a castle town, completed through residents’ own efforts even after the road widening.
Getting the bypass plan changed to widening, and creating the new shopping district through their own research and voluntary agreements—these two successful experiences became a great source of confidence for the people of Honmachi.
The government responded to this movement by constructing the Merchant House Museum in 1983. Originally a white-plastered earthen storehouse building built by a forest landowner in 1870, it was donated by the owner during the road widening and relocated and restored.
Even after the preservation district designation, landscape improvements continued.
In 1982, koi fish were released into roadside waterways to revive the water village atmosphere of old Obi. On Ote and Yoko streets, utility poles were relocated and street lamps were installed.
In 1989, the Miyazaki Prefectural Nichinan Police Station significantly reduced and downsized road signs. Disaster recovery work on surrounding rivers also incorporated landscaping conscious of the castle town’s image.
For the municipal road passing south of the castle town, tunnel construction was deliberately chosen instead of the simpler open-cut method to preserve the castle town’s natural landscape. Underground installation of power lines continues gradually to this day.
In 1993, the Komura Memorial Hall International Exchange Center was again constructed through citizen donations. Built to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the death of Komura Jutaro, a diplomat from Obi, it was renovated and reopened in 2022.
Fifty years of effort have yielded tangible results. Obi Castle Town has grown into a tourist destination that attracts many visitors.
In 1978, the “Obi Castle Town Festival” was launched to commemorate the completion of the historical museum.
Held annually over two days in October, the festival features period costume parades with samurai generals and female warriors, and performances of the Taihei-odori, a prefecturally designated intangible folk cultural property. Today, it attracts approximately 50,000 visitors over the two days, becoming an autumn tradition of Nichinan.
In 2009, a new tourism initiative called “Food Walk & Town Walk” was launched.
A representative from Nichinan Chamber of Commerce visited a similar project in Gujo Hachiman, Gifu Prefecture, and collaborated with the Obi Castle Town Preservation Society to establish the program. Within just three months of the visit, 16 shops joined and the program began.
The program, known as ”Ayumi - chan Map,” allows visitors to explore the castle town with five exchange coupons while enjoying local delicacies like obi-ten (fish cake) and thick-rolled omelet. By January 2025, users had exceeded 350,000, and participating shops had expanded to 29.
A preservation society representative says, “Having people walk around the town leads to revitalization of historical facilities and the shopping district. Conversations arise between shop owners and customers, contributing to town vitalization.”
In Obi, not just government and the preservation society, but citizen activities are also vibrant.
Various groups conduct different activities: “Obi Rakuichi Rakuza” holds castle concerts, “Obi ni Akari wo Tomosu Kai” organizes candlelight nights, “Sukehyo Club” operates rickshaws, “Obimayu no Kai” holds Hinamatsuri doll festival events, and “Shokyoto no Kai” creates flower decorations.
Among them, the “Nichinan City Volunteer Tourist Guide Association” provides free tourist guiding services, becoming a vital pillar of Obi tourism.
These combined government-private sector efforts have received high external recognition:
Why did Obi succeed? Here are the key points other regions can learn from.
Three major projects—the Obi Castle restoration, preservation district designation, and Honmachi street widening—were promoted simultaneously by government, council, and residents united as one. Government-led and resident-led movements responded to each other, creating momentum throughout the entire town.
Much of the restoration project funding came from citizen donations. The historical museum also received numerous entrusted items including swords and armor. The consciousness of having “built it ourselves” fostered citizen pride and ownership.
The Honmachi shopping district established its own townscape rules without government assistance. The negotiation skills to change the bypass plan to widening, the initiative to research after recognizing the value of what was being lost—this independence was key to success.
Obi cedar over 100 years old was used for the Otemon Gate construction; Obi stone walls were preserved as landscape resources. Local food culture like obi-ten and thick-rolled omelet was utilized in the “Food Walk” program. Historical and cultural resources like Komura Jutaro and Taihei-odori were also leveraged as tourism content.
Efforts have continued for over 50 years since 1974. Development proceeded in stages—Shintokudo, Otemon, the historical museum, Matsuo-no-maru—with study groups formed to address issues as they arose.
Clear division of roles exists: the Obi Castle Town Preservation Society handles map sales and management, the Chamber of Commerce produces unified banner flags, and participating shops continue through annual membership fees.
Key figures existed at each stage: the mayor who conceived the Obi Castle restoration project, members of the Honmachi Townscape Study Group, and Chamber of Commerce and Preservation Society representatives who launched the Food Walk program. Each involved and motivated those around them.
Despite its success, Obi still faces challenges.
The aging rate in the Obi district exceeds 40%, with increasing vacant houses and lots. Estate subdivision accompanying generational changes is also progressing.
Additionally, the Important Preservation District covers approximately 19.8 hectares—only about 20% of the total castle town area of approximately 100 hectares. How to promote landscape preservation outside the designated district remains a significant challenge.
Obi aims for “area-integrated community development connecting points into a unified area.” Rather than mere renovation of old buildings, the goal is to create systems that balance heritage preservation with attracting visitors. The challenge for the next 50 years continues.
Obi Castle Town’s revitalization is a success story of a regional castle town facing depopulation that leveraged its historical assets to regenerate as a tourist destination.
Behind this success were unified government-citizen efforts, citizen-participatory fundraising, independent resident action, utilization of regional resources, and continuous efforts spanning over 50 years.
Particularly noteworthy is how government-led and resident-led projects progressed simultaneously, responding to each other while building momentum throughout the entire town.
We hope that for those working on regional revitalization and community development, Obi’s 50-year journey will serve as inspiration for taking the next step.
We wish that Obi’s challenge will empower all those striving to forge a future for their communities.
