Born in 1559 as the son of Ito Yoshisuke, 16th head of the Hyuga Ito clan, Ito Suketaka was driven from Hyuga alongside his defeated father in 1577 and wandered from province to province before entering the service of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He joined Hideyoshi's 1587 Kyushu campaign and distinguished himself as a guide, earning as reward the restoration of his ancestral domain of Obi. He entered Obi Castle in 1588, founding the Obi domain. Thereafter the Ito clan held the castle as lords of Obi for 14 generations spanning over 280 years. He died in 1600.

A resilient figure who, despite experiencing his father's downfall, achieved a comeback by serving Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He showed practical, results-oriented drive, winning back his ancestral domain through concrete service as a guide during the Kyushu campaign.

The Obi domain that Suketaka restored endured for over 280 years, and the castle town of Obi is known today as "the Little Kyoto of Kyushu." Obi Castle and its Otemon Gate remain Nichinan City's foremost historic sites, conveying the history of Ito clan rule.