DISCOVER FUKUI

This mountain castle, standing at an elevation of 267 meters, was built on the hill commonly known as Atagoyama behind Imajō-juku around the late Heian period. It is located near Imajō Station and is also part of a hiking course.

During the Genpei War, in the second year of Juei (1183), it was ordered built by Nishina Morihiro to repel Taira no Koremori during the battle against Kiso Yoshitsune (Minamoto no Yoshitsune). The seventh scroll of The Tale of the Heike, "The Battle of Hiuchi," begins with "Kiso Yoshitsune fortified Hiuchi Castle in Echizen Province." When Yoshizane attempted to invade via the Hokuriku route, Taira no Koromori's massive army of 100,000 pressed forward. Yoshizane dammed the Hino River to create an artificial lake. However, the dam was breached due to the betrayal of Saimei Igi, the chief priest of Heisenji Temple, who was supposed to be on Yoshizane's side, leading to the fall of Hiuchi Castle.

Later, in 1336, it became the castle of Imajō Nyūdō Jōkei, who faced off against the forces of Nitta Yoshisada. In 1573, Ikko Ikki rebels barricaded themselves inside to resist Nobunaga but were defeated. After that, the castle fell into disuse. Scattered across the mountaintop are massive stones, likely used for catapults. Remnants remain, including the site of an observation tower, traces of a moat, and stone walls.