17Iwamura Castle Ruins

”Iwamura Castle” is one of Japan’s 3 largest mountain castles, together with Takatori Castle (Nara Prefecture) and Bitchu Matsuyama Castle (Okayama Prefecture), with an elevation of 717m, it is a castle located on the tallest point within the whole of Japan. Due to its height, it is often covered in fog, which gives it another name that literally translates to “The Castle of Fog”.
One of the things you must see at Iwamura Castle is the 6-layer stone wall. This stone wall, which has been beautifully crafted, has been compared to the likes of Peru’s Machu Picchu.
Furthermore, Iwamura Castle is famous for having a woman as its owner. During the 16th century, the military commander Nobunaga Oda was aiming for the unification of Japan, as a tactic to capture the east of Japan he made his aunt the owner of this castle. It is said that after the husband “Toyama” died, the eastern “Takeda clan” attacked the castle, with the aunt fighting back herself.