is a mountain castle

Japanese castle

' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...

, or yamashiro, located in Yorii

Yorii, Saitama

is a town located in Ōsato District, Saitama, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 37,548 and a density of 585.13 persons per km². The total area is 64.17 km².Hachigata Castle is located in Yorii.-External links:*...

, Saitama Prefecture

Saitama Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

History

Hachigata Castle was built in approximately 1476 by Nagao Kageharu of the Late Hōjō clan

Late Hojo clan

The ' was one of the most powerful warrior clans in Japan in the Sengoku period and held domains primarily in the Kantō region.The clan is traditionally reckoned to be started by Ise Shinkurō, who came from a branch of the prestigious Ise clan, a family in the direct employment of the Ashikaga...

. The castle was constructed at an excellent location, as it oversaw much traffic at an important crossroads, and was situated between two rivers. Hōjō Ujikuni

Hojo Ujikuni

was a samurai of the Sengoku period, and the third son of Hōjō Ujiyasu. Ujikuni was a high ranking commander in the invasion of Kozuke. He was also the castellan in command of Hachigata Castle in Musashi province, which came under siege twice, in 1568 and in 1590.After losing his castle to...

 improved the defences of the castle after he became lord in 1560. Takeda Shingen

Takeda Shingen

, of Kai Province, was a preeminent daimyo in feudal Japan with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period.-Name:Shingen was called "Tarō" or "Katsuchiyo" during his childhood...

 attempted to seize the castle in 1568 during the Siege of Hachigata (1568)

Siege of Hachigata (1568)

The first siege of Hachigata took place in 1568; Takeda Shingen laid siege to the castle, which was controlled by Hōjō Ujikuni, but was unable to capture it. Shingen then moved south to besiege Takiyama castle, on his way to the Hōjō capital of Odawara....

, but failed due to its extensive fortifications. For a month in 1590, Hachigata Castle held off the forces of both Maeda Toshiie

Maeda Toshiie

was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His father was Maeda Toshimasa. He was the fourth of seven brothers. His childhood name was "Inuchiyo" . His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as...

 and Uesugi Kagekatsu

Uesugi Kagekatsu

was a daimyo during the Sengoku and Edo periods of Japanese history. The son of Nagao Masakage and husband of Uesugi Kenshin's elder sister, Aya-Gozen. After his father died, he was adopted by Kenshin....

 with a mere 3,000 defenders during the Siege of Hachigata (1590)

Siege of Hachigata (1590)

The 1590 siege of Hachigata was the penultimate battle of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaigns against the Hōjō clan, during Japan's Sengoku period...

. Ujikuni finally surrendered the castle under the condition that the lives of his men would be spared. During the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, the castle was demolished.

Today

Along with a large amount of ruins that remain largely undisturbed by development, a small part of the castle has been reconstructed, including some walls, a gate, and a building. A museum dedicated to the castle's history has also been erected.