In 1332, Masashige built this mountain stronghold on the sheer cliffs of Mount Kongō as his main base after rising in support of Emperor Go-Daigo's anti-shogunate campaign. Despite the shogunate throwing a vast army against him, he held out with a tiny garrison through months of siege — using straw dummies to draw enemy fire, hurling rocks and boiling water, and even releasing hornets' nests on attackers — until the Kamakura shogunate fell in 1333. The defense of Chihaya, known as the Battle of Chihaya Castle, is celebrated as one of the greatest feats of castle warfare in Japanese history. Chihaya Shrine, dedicated to Masashige, now stands on the summit above the designated national historic site.