Kuniyoshi Castle

Small Castle With a Big and Violent History

Kuniyoshi Castle is a yamajiro (mountain castle) located at the northwest ridge of Mt. Mitake, also known as Shiroyama, at an altitude of 197.3 meters above Sagaki, Mihama Town, Fukui Prefecture. The castle remains are in very good condition, and recent research and improvement of the site makes it a joy to visit.  Kuniyoshi was built during the Sengoku period by Kuniyoshi Tsunekuni, hence the name, Kuniyoshi Castle, but Awaya Katsuhisa, a senior vassal of the Takeda clan and the shugo daimyo of Wakasa Province, improved and expanded the fortress in 1556 using the original castle ruins.  The Awaya clan were provincial lords and originally served the Takeda, a local branch of the more famous Takeda clan in Kai Province. From the mid 15th century onwards, the deaths of clan leaders and internal conflict saw the Takeda’s loss of power, and so many of the clan’s vassals, including the Awaya, sought independence.