In 1331, when Emperor Go-Daigo attempted to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate in the Genkō War, he relied on Prince Moriyoshi and a local lord from the Chihaya-Akasaka area, Kusunoki Masashige to raise an army.

[2] The place selected for Chihaya Castle was very defensible: a narrow ridge with an elevation of 150 meters with steep cliffs, protected on both sides by rivers.

Per the medieval chronicle Taiheiki, the greatly outnumbered defenders put up a strong defense, forcing the attackers to abandon direct assault and to resort to a siege.

Moreover, Kusunoki Masashige used guerrilla warfare tactics, making continual raids and surprise attacks, or using straw dummies to trick the shogunal army.

As the siege continued, the shogunal army, trapped in the narrow valley, began to experience supply problems, along with a considerable loss in prestige in being unable to defeat their numerically much smaller enemy.