The siege of Katsurayama Castle was part of the so-called Third Campaign of Kawanakajima, one of five operations conducted by daimyo Takeda Shingen against the forces of the Uesugi clan in the north of Shinano Province.
Until the 1550s, the province of Shinano itself served as a kind of buffer between the domains of two great commanders of the Sengoku Jidai era: Takeda Shingen (1521–1573), who ruled in the south, and Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578), who ruled in the north.
From 1542, Shingen began actively conquering Shinano and by 1550 already controlled the southern and central areas of the province. Kenshin, in turn, consolidated his position in the north, seeking to stop the expansion of the Takeda clan.
A series of clashes in the Kawanakajima Valley in 1553–1555 did not bring any significant results to either side. Therefore, Shingen decided to direct his third campaign against the system of fortresses guarding the mountain passes to the province of Etigo, the ancestral lands of the Uesugi clan. The first obstacle on this path was Katsurayama Castle, built by Kenshin in 1553.
Katsurayama
Katsurayama was a typical mountain castle (yamajiro) of that time. It stood on top of a mountain north of the Susohana River and was fortified with a wooden wall and powerful gates. The castle had observation towers.
The commander of the fortress was Ochi Haruyoshi. His garrison consisted of warriors from the Ochi clan, as well as fighters from the Murakami clan, long-time enemies of the Takeda clan. The castle was supplied with large reserves of rice and other foodstuffs, which made it possible to count on a long defense.
The beginning of the siege
Northern Shinano is known as one of the snowiest regions in Japan. In March 1557, a late snowfall blocked the mountain passes and effectively cut Katsurayama off from the province of Etigo. Takeda Shingen took advantage of this circumstance and ordered his trusted general Baba Nobuharu (1515–1575) to attack the fortress with a force of six thousand warriors.
Several attempts to storm the castle were repelled by the defenders. Nobuharu then resorted to a blockade tactic. However, he understood that he would not be able to besiege the fortress for long: as soon as the snow melted, Kenshin would be able to send troops to help the garrison.
The legend of water
According to legend, the fall of Katsurayama was due to the castle being deprived of its water source. It was believed that there were no streams at the top of the mountain, and the defenders had to fetch water from a spring near the Jōshōji temple, located lower down the slope.
At first, Takeda's troops did not know this. To mislead the besiegers, the defenders came up with a trick: having large reserves of rice, they began to pour it from the cliff in a place where their enemies could see them. From a distance, it looked like streams of water flowing down the rocks.
However, the abbot of Jōshōji Temple revealed the secret of the Takeda army's water source, and access to the spring was blocked.
The plausibility of this story is questionable: there were huge snowdrifts around, and the garrison could well have obtained water by melting snow, without relying on the spring.
The final assault
Be that as it may, after some time, Nobuharu's troops launched their final assault. They managed to set fire to the castle's fortifications, after which a fierce battle began.
Takeda's warriors killed the entire garrison, including the commandant, Ochia Haruyoshi. The women and other non-military inhabitants of the castle committed mass suicide by throwing themselves off a cliff. Katsurayama was completely destroyed and burned to the ground.
See also
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The Siege of Hara Castle
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Battle of Tennoji
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Siege of Shuri Castle
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The Siege of Fushimi Castle
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The Siege of Otsu Castle
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The Siege of Shiroishi Castle
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The Second Siege of Jinju Castle
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The Siege of Takamatsu Castle
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