Sagiyama Castle was built by
Satake Hideyoshi between 1185 and 1190. It served as a main castle for the
Toki clan, who were the
shugo of Mino Province at the time, at first. However, after the construction of
Kawate Castle to the south in 1353, Sagiyama Castle no longer played an important role in the area.
Toki Yorinari moved into the castle in the early 16th century, but chose to live in Kawate Castle after becoming the
shugo. After
Saitō Dōsan usurped power from the Toki clan in 1530, he moved the area's power into
Inabayama Castle atop
Mount Kinka. However, he occasionally took refuge in Sagiyama Castle because of its ease of access. Dōsan gave possession of Sagiyama Castle to his son,
Saitō Yoshitatsu, in 1548 after some repairs. Originally, Dōsan was planning on naming Yoshitatsu as his successor, but when Yoshitatsu heard that Dōsan might choose another son, Yoshitatsu killed his two brothers. The murders led to the
Battle of Nagaragawa between Dōsan and Yoshitatsu in 1556, which resulted in Dōsan's death and the destruction of the castle. ==Present==