Sunpu Castle
Ōta Sukeyoshi was the 7th son of Ōta Sukemoto, the 5th "daimyō" of Kakegawa Domain. He became head of the Ōta clan and "daimyō" of Kakegawa on the death of his elder brother, Ōta Sukekatsu in January 1862, but was only a child of eight years at the time. His father, Ōta Sukemoto, although officially retired from public life, continued to control the domain until his death in June 1867. In January 1868, he was ordered to assist in the defense of Sunpu Castle; however, with the start of the Boshin War, he withdraw to Kakegawa less than a month later, and surrendered to the new Meiji government.