Siege Of Iwaya Castle
After the defeat of the Ryūzōji clan at the Battle of Okitanawate in 1584, Shimazu Yoshihisa refocused his attentions on the Ōtomo clan and a campaign was started against their dominions.
The siege of Iwaya Castle resulted after the Shimazu invasion of Chikuzen Province. The castellan of Iwaya was Takahashi Shigetane, one of the most trusted retainers of the Ōtomo, and held the fortress with a small garrison of around 763 soldiers. When the invading army of around 35,000 soldiers put the castle under siege the situation seemed untenable, but the castle managed to hold for two weeks.
When Shigetane realized he could not hold the fortress any longer, he committed seppuku and all soldiers suicide attack. The Shimazu took the castle and were impressed with Shigetane's loyal conduct; they are said to have prayed for his deceased spirit.
References
- ^ "日本の城がわかる事典「岩屋城」の解説". kotobank. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "The Samurai Archives". Archived from the original on 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2011-09-04.