Wakasa Province
Obama was an important seaport from ancient times due to its proximity to the capital of Japan. In the Sengoku period, the Wakasa Province was controlled by a number of local warlords, including a branch of the Takeda clan. Under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it had been awarded to Hideyoshi's nephew, Kinoshita Katsutoshi. Kinoshita did not participate in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and was deprived of Obama by the victorious Tokugawa Ieyasu because he had not actively supported the winning side.