Hino Castle (日野城)
Hino Castle was a Japanese castle located in Hino Town, Gamo County, Shiga Prefecture. Because the Ichihashi clan had set up its residence in the Edo period, it may be referred to as Nishoji Jinya (the residence called Nishoji).
Although it is historically called Hino Castle, it may be called Nakano Castle based on the geographical name in Hino Town, in order to distinguish it from Otowa Castle, which was built by the Gamo clan in the same town during the Middle Ages.
Summary
Sadahide GAMO fully constructed the castle in earnest in Hino during the period from 1533 to 1536.
The Gamo clan became subjects of Nobunaga ODA when Katahide GAMO was the head of the clan. During the Honnoji Incident in 1582, Katahide and his son Ujisato GAMO ushered the families of the wives and concubines of Nobunaga ODA into the castle.
Ujisato was transferred to Ise-Matsugashima Castle, with crop yields of 120,000 koku, in 1584. Subsequently, the keepers of the castle were Yoshimasa TANAKA and then Masaie NAGATSUKA. The castle was dismantled after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.
The clan of Nagamasa ICHIHASHI set up residence in the ruin of Nakano Castle, and it remained as Nishoji Jinya until the Meiji Restoration.
Most of the structural remnants were destroyed in the construction of Hinogawa Dam. However, some stone walls and moats remained around the Suzuhashi-jinja and Inari-jinja shrines. The water well for the first bath of baby Ujisato GAMO' is located near the main area, where remnants exist.