Taketa/Bungo

Taketa/Bungo

The south part of Oita Prefecture was once called "Bungo State". A ruin of Oka Castle, which was constructed by a local warrior to have Yoshitsune Minamoto, a hero in Kamakura Period, is located in the inland Taketa City. It is said that Rentaro Taki, a composer in the modern age was inspired by Oka Castle　(only the stonewalls remain now) as a model to compose "Kojo no Tsuki".
There is Kuju Renzan with series of volcanic mountains of 1700-meter class in the north part of Taketa City; the highest is Nakadake (1791 m), which is also the highest in Kyushu Area. Nakadake was selected to one of the best 100 mountains in Japan, and was designated the Aso Kuju National Park. The north and south areas of Kuju Renzan are vast grasslands with gentle inclines, and dairy farming is popular. There are also guest ranches to take advantage of these characteristics.