Qualla: Iwamura Castle: The Misty Fortress and Its Lady Commander

Iwamura Castle: The Misty Fortress and Its Lady Commander: Introduction

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit CC BY-SA 3.0. Oda Nobunaga crucified his own aunt on December 23, 1575. He had promised safe passage. He lied. Otsuya-no-kata and her second husband, Takeda general Akiyama Nobutomo, were executed as traitors outside the walls of the very castle she had defended, negotiated for, and ultimately surrendered to protect. Iwamura Castle sits at 721 meters above sea level in the mountains of eastern Gifu, frequently shrouded in fog that earned it the name "the Misty Castle." It is counted among Japan's three great mountain castles alongside Takatori Castle in Nara and Bitchu-Matsuyama Castle in Okayama. But what sets Iwamura apart from every other ruin on a Japanese mountaintop is the story of the woman who held it -- and the price she paid for choosing survival over loyalty to a warlord who happened to be family.

Read more: Iwamura Castle on Qualla

Image: CC BY-SA 3.0

Iwamura Castle: The Misty Fortress and Its Lady Commander: A Crossroads in the Mountains

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit takami torao (Koiroha (talk) 00:32, 28 June 2009 (UTC)), Public domain. Iwamura Castle was built on a steep mountain overlooking the Iwamura Basin in southeastern Mino Province, commanding the intersection of the Sanshu Kaido -- the road linking southern Shinano Province with central Mikawa Province and the Pacific Coast -- and the route connecting M...

Read more: Iwamura Castle on Qualla

Image: takami torao (Koiroha (talk) 00:32, 28 June 2009 (UTC)) | Public domain

Iwamura Castle: The Misty Fortress and Its Lady Commander: The Woman in the Castle

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit takami torao (Koiroha (talk) 00:33, 28 June 2009 (UTC)), Public domain. To cement his alliance with the Toyama, Nobunaga sent his aunt Otsuya-no-kata to marry Toyama Kageto, the castle lord. When the couple produced no heir, Nobunaga dispatched his sixth son, Oda Katsunaga, to be adopted into the clan -- a living insurance policy on a strategic fortr...

Read more: Iwamura Castle on Qualla

Image: takami torao (Koiroha (talk) 00:33, 28 June 2009 (UTC)) | Public domain

Iwamura Castle: The Misty Fortress and Its Lady Commander: Betrayal and Crucifixion

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit takami torao (Koiroha (talk) 00:32, 28 June 2009 (UTC)), Public domain. Nobunaga attacked Iwamura Castle repeatedly after the Toyama defection, but the fortress held. It was not until 1575, after the decisive Oda-Tokugawa victory over Takeda Katsuyori at the Battle of Nagashino, that Nobunaga's forces finally surrounded the mountaintop stronghold. Ev...

Read more: Iwamura Castle on Qualla

Image: takami torao (Koiroha (talk) 00:32, 28 June 2009 (UTC)) | Public domain

Iwamura Castle: The Misty Fortress and Its Lady Commander: Stone Walls and New Masters

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Alexrk2, CC BY-SA 3.0. The castle changed hands repeatedly after the bloodshed. In 1582, Nobunaga used Iwamura as his base during the conquest of Kai Province. It passed to Mori Nagayoshi and then his son Mori Tadamasa, who during seventeen years of control transformed the fortress with the stone walls...

Read more: Iwamura Castle on Qualla

Image: Alexrk2 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Iwamura Castle: The Misty Fortress and Its Lady Commander: Walking Into the Mist

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Mikkabie, CC BY-SA 4.0. Today, Iwamura's castle town is one of the most significant historic preservation districts in Gifu Prefecture, ranked behind only Takayama and Shirakawa-go. Traditional merchant houses and shops line the streets below the mountain, preserved in the Edo-period style that defined ...

Read more: Iwamura Castle on Qualla

Image: Mikkabie | CC BY-SA 4.0