[1][2][3] Construction began under the rule of Daimyō Kuroda Yoshitaka in 1587, when he was made the governor of the region by Toyotomi Hideyoshi for his help in the Kyūshū Campaign.

Yoshitaka was rewarded with greater lands in Fukuoka after the Battle of Sekigahara and was replaced by Daimyō Hosokawa Tadaoki, who completed the construction.

The castle draws salt water from the nearby Seto Inland Sea to fill the moat.

The original castle housed a small shrine for the rebel leader Utsonomiya Shigefusa.

After negotiations with the Nakatsu City Council fell through, the building was sold in 2010 to a Saitama-based company called Chiga.