Ōtomo clan
During the Sengoku period (15th–16th centuries), the powerful Ōtomo clan based in Funai and the area prospered as a key port of trade with Portugal and Ming-dynasty China. Ōtomo Sōrin, a famous Christian "daimyō", first introduced western culture. It was in Funai that the first western style hospital was built and the first Japanese choir was formed.