Miharu Castle is located on the 407-meter Shiroyama hill in the Abukuma Mountains, near the center of present-day Fukushima Prefecture.
The Tamura clan claimed descent from the Heian period general Sakanoue Tamuramaro, who conquered this region from the Emishi, so the origins of the fortifications may date back even earlier.
By the time of the Muromachi period, the Tamura clan had declined, and the Miharu area was divided among many competing small warlords.
Hideyoshi gave the territories to Gamō Ujisato, who embarked on a program to modernise the major castles of his domain with features such as stone walls and combined gates.
During the Boshin War, although Miharu Doman was a member of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei, the castle was surrounded without a fight and surrendered to the Meiji government.
The shape of the earthen ramparts largely remains, and the area is now used as a public park, famous for its sakura trees in spring.