Shibata Shrine inside Castle Ruins

Small shrine dedicated to Shibata Katsuie & Oichi

Por Takako Sakamoto

Community writer

Street sign indicating the location of Shibata Shrine and Kitanosho Castle Ruins

Bronze statue of Shibata Katsuie, who was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and then killed himself inside the burning castle

The main gate of Shibata Shrine stands on a narrow, old, shopping street

Sacred rope of Shibata Shrine's main gate contrasts clearly with blue sky

Dragon head spewing water at a water purification font inside Shibata Shrine

An old well from the 16th Century Kitano-sho Castle was restored here and named 'Water of Oichi'. Oichi was the wife of Katsuie and sister of Oda Nobunaga

Main hall and stone marker of Shibata Shrine

At the administration office, various charms can be bought

Many Ema (wooden votive tablets) adorn this board

Ema (wooden votive tablet) of Shibata Katsuie, the last lord of Kitano-sho Castle

Looking at the main hall through the prayer platform

Looking up at the ceiling of the prayer hall

Guardian dogs in front of the main hall of Shibata Shrine

Located near JR Fukui station, Shibata Shrine stands on the Kitano-Sho Castle Ruins, enshrining a famous samurai in the Sengoku Period, Shibata Katsuie. After the assassination of his master, Oda Nobunaga, he fought with another prominent subject of Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, over the right to become Nobunaga's successor. Katsuie lost the competition, and killed himself in the main castle keep of Kitano-Sho Castle, which was located here in Fukui city. Nobunaga's sister, Oichi, was Katsuie's wife at the time, and she also chose to kill herself with her husband and ended her turbulent life here in 1583. Later, a small stone shrine was erected here, and it had been taken care of by the Fukui Matsudaira Clan for centuries until an official shrine was built in 1890, about 300 years after their tragic death. The current buildings were rebuilt in 1998.