Sakamoto Castle

Sakamoto Castle (坂本城) was a Japanese castle in the town of Sakamoto in Omi Province.^[1]

History

Sakamoto Castle was built by Akechi Mitsuhide following the Siege of Mount Hiei in 1571, and later served as one of his strongholds.^[2] When Mitsuhide was away from Omi, his nephew Kagemitsu was placed in charge of the castle, where he would govern from.^[3]

By 1582, Kagemitsu, like his uncle, was a member of the Shinbakufu, making him a target of the Kakushiba ikki.^[3] Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke, two members of the league, infiltrated the castle alongside Shōtei and Katsuhime of the Rokkaku clan to hunt down Kagemitsu. Yasuke managed to kill Gamo Yoshimitsu, Kagemitsu's retainer, while Naoe destroyed explosives at the armory before confronting and killing Kagemitsu.^[4]

After Kagemitsu's death, Naoe and Yasuke would return to the castle at one point, eliminating the samurai daishos, and acquiring the Ship Captain’s Gear from the fortress' chest. While there, Naoe climbed atop the tenshu and surveyed Lake Biwa and the castlegrounds.^[1] Meanwhile, Yasuke managed to retrieve the Akechi Clan kamon within the castle for Ōta Gyūichi in Yamashiro.^[5]