Ota Castle (Kishu)

Ota Castle, located in Kii-no-Kawa, Wakayama Prefecture, was a medieval mountain castle built around 1294 during the late Kamakura period. It served as an important stronghold of the Ota clan from the 14th through 16th centuries, holding a strategic position within territories influenced by the Ikko-ikki movement. During the Sengoku period, the castle maintained a complex political position amid regional power struggles. In 1585 (Tensho 13), as part of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's systematic campaign against Ikko-ikki forces following his attacks on Negoro-ji and Saiga Castle, Ota Castle came under siege. Hideyoshi's army, comprising approximately 100,000 soldiers, constructed a massive 6-kilometer-long embankment and conducted a prolonged siege lasting over three weeks. Approximately 5,000 defenders—soldiers, monks, and peasants—endured approximately one month of intense combat while suffering from starvation. The castle ultimately surrendered, with fifty warrior monks performing ritual suicide. The castle site was later incorporated into the construction area of Wakayama Castle.