By the sixteenth century, the Satake family had developed into one of most powerful families in Japan, with an annual revenue which exceeded 540,000 koku in Hitachi. However, the Tokugawa family, who unified a large part of Japan in 1600, relegated the Satake family from Hitachi to Akita for their participation in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 on the Toyotomi side.
In 1602, the Satake family arrived in Akita and took over Minato Castle, which used to be the residence of the Ando family (who were moved to Hitachi).
