Battles had raged for the previous few years between the ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]'' of Kyûshû, and by 1587 the [[Shimazu clan]] of [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]] were the primary power on the island. In 1586, hearing of Hideyoshi's plans for invasion, they lifted their siege of [[Tachibana castle]], withdrawing a great portion of their forces back to [[Higo province]], while the rest stayed in [[Bungo province]]. There, they seized [[Funai castle]] from the [[Otomo clan|Ôtomo clan]] and prepared for the invasion. | Battles had raged for the previous few years between the ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]'' of Kyûshû, and by 1587 the [[Shimazu clan]] of [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]] were the primary power on the island. In 1586, hearing of Hideyoshi's plans for invasion, they lifted their siege of [[Tachibana castle]], withdrawing a great portion of their forces back to [[Higo province]], while the rest stayed in [[Bungo province]]. There, they seized [[Funai castle]] from the [[Otomo clan|Ôtomo clan]] and prepared for the invasion. |