When Lord Satake of Ibaraki was reassigned to Akita, the Ashina followed him deciding to settle in Kakunodate.

The town of Kakunodate was originally located to the North of Mt. Furushiroyama. When Ashina Yoshikatsu became lord of Kakunodate he relocated the town to a more suitable location for developing a castle town. Its new location is surrounded by mountains on three sides and open to the Senboku plains to the South by the Tamagawa River.

Kakunodate was once the largest castle town in the Akita region. The famous weeping cherry blossom trees were also brought to Kakunodate by the Ashina, descendents of Kyoto aristocrasts. Five original homes are open to the public.