At 717 metres it is the highest castle in Japan: it was defended by Otsuya, Nobunaga's widowed aunt.
Built on a mountain at 717 metres (the highest in Japan among castle ruins), it makes use of a 180-metre difference in height and the frequent fog of the valley, which earned it the nickname ‘castle of fog’; it is counted among the three great mountain castles of Japan, together with Bicchū-Matsuyama and Takatori. With her husband dead and her son still a child, Oda Nobunaga's aunt, Otsuya, led its defence against the troops of Takeda Shingen. At the foot of the mountain, the old town of Honmachi preserves the Edo-period shop-houses along 1.3 km, and has been protected since 1998 as a national preservation district.
Castle town in the Tōno hinterland, at the foot of the ruins of the highest mountain castle in Japan (717 m), scene of the defence by Otsuya, Oda Nobunaga's aunt.
ℹ️ The old town of Honmachi is a public street that you can walk at any time; individual shops have their own hours. You reach the castle ruins with a climb of about 30–40 minutes from the car park, with free entry.
🚉 Iwamura · 9 min walk
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