The castle was built by Katō Sadayasu in 1597. Though Sadayasu supported the Toki clan, Katō Mitsuyasu, his father, supported the Saitō clan and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who provided many of the stones for the construction of the castle. Mitsuyasu join in the invasions of Korea, but died of illness during his trip home in 1593, putting Sadayasu in charge of construction.