However, following the Onin War, the Hosokawa clan was greatly weakened and divided by internal conflicts, and many small local chieftains seized power over areas of the province.

The castle itself consisted of ten connected enclosures spread northeast and northwest on 200 meters of ridges at the mid-way point on the slopes of the mountain.

[3] In 1568, Oda Nobunaga entered Kyoto, but was unable to immediately turn his attention to further conquests to the west due to war with the Takeda clan of Kai Province.

During this period, Akai Naomasa greatly expanded his power, aggressively counterattacking against the Yamana clan in Tajima Province.

Mitsuhide was quickly able to lay siege to Kuroi Castle, but he was betrayed by Hatano Hideharu from behind and was forced to flee the province in early 1576.

It is often claimed that Akechi Mitsuhide sent his aged mother to Yakami Castle as a hostage to reassure the Hatano that their lives would be spared if they surrendered, and that she was executed when Nobunaga went back on his word and killed them instead.

After the Battle of Sekigahara, despite being on the losing Western side, the Tokugawa Shogunate confirmed Maeda Gen'i at Yakami Castle.