• 
• 
• 
• 

The castle is said to have been built by Ryomasa Asai in the early Oei period (early 1520s), but the exact date is not known. This castle was built on Mt. Kotani, a strategic point in the northern part of the lake, and was occupied by three generations of the Asai clan: Ryomasa, Hisamasa, and Nagamasa. However, in 1573, the castle was attacked by Oda Nobunaga and fell, and the Asai clan also perished. After the fall of the castle, it was given to Hideyoshi Kinoshita, but Hideyoshi moved to Nagahama in the 4th year of the same year, and the castle was abandoned thereafter. Today, the ruins of the castle, including the main castle, a horse washing pond, and a cherry blossom horse stable, as well as stone mounds, still remain on the castle site. Nagamasa Asai (1545-73) was the lord of Kotani Castle in Higashi Asai County. He took Nobunaga's sister Oichi as his wife, but when Nobunaga attacked the Asakura clan, he fought with Nobunaga at Anegawa and was defeated. Nobunaga surrounded the castle, and he and his father Hisamasa committed suicide. Yododono (1567-1615) was the daughter of Nagamasa Asai, lord of Kotani Castle. She was the mother of Oda Nobunaga's sister, Oichinokata. After the death of her parents, she became Hideyoshi's wife and gave birth to Hideyori. However, she committed suicide in Osaka Castle while resisting Ieyasu