Siege of Chokoji Castle, 1570
Chokoji castle was in the Omi province of Japan. It had been captured from the Rokkaku (Sasaki) clan by the great samurai general Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga entrusted its safe keeping to Shibata Kitsuie. Rokkaku Yoshisuke attacked the castle in 1570 determined to retake it for his clan, he quickly laid siege to the castle and cut off its water supply. The defenders were now faced with the very real prospect of death from dehydration. Shibata Kitsuie, faced with little prospect of rescue smashed the remaining water jars in the castle, and led his now desperate men in a sally against the besiegers. With no hope but to defeat the besiegers Kitsuie’s men fought desperately and succeeded in routing the Rokkaku forces and lifting the siege.
How to cite this article: Dugdale Pointon, T. (18 November 2005) Chokoji castle, siege of, 1570, articles/battles_chokoji.html