View source for Battle of Shizugatake Feature + 17 new castles

{{news
|NewsTitle=Battle of Shizugatake Feature + 17 new castles
|NewsDate=2025-07-19
|NewsBody=This update brings 17 new castle profiles related to the [[Battle of Shizugatake]] and an all new feature article illustrating the battle in text, images and maps! See [[Battle of Shizugatake]] for more details.

It all started with a visit to [[Genbao Castle]] and a quick stop at [[Tenjinyama Fort]] on the way home. But the more I absorbed about the events surrounding this battle, the more compelling the story became. Two years and six trips later, I had visited 18 castles in the region — some more than once. I’ve become quite familiar with the route from my home to Lake Yogo, as well as navigating the roads of northern Ōmi!

As I explored the history behind these castles, it became clear that the story was far too rich to tell through individual profiles alone. The pieces had to be woven together into a proper [[Battle of Shizugatake|feature article]] to make sense of the battle as it unfolded across the landscape. Castle books and articles often gloss over history — or worse, simplify it so much to be misleading. On the other hand, most history articles tend to ignore the terrain and fortifications entirely. As a castle fan who enjoys understanding the deeper context and stories behind what I see on the ground, I decided to write the article I wanted to read. I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

This project was also a fun technical challenge. I learned more about using Leaflet maps and created several new styles (CSS classes) and map features to help visualize the campaign that I can re-use again in the future. If you know of other Kansai-based stories that deserve the same treatment, let me know! I have a few in mind already… and hopefully the next one won’t take two years.

Several planned winter visits were canceled due to snow, which delayed things considerably. Interestingly, most of my visits took place in April — the same season in which these castles were originally constructed. If all goes well, I'm going to visit maybe 2 more times this fall to add some ancillary forts and details to this [[Battle of Shizugatake|feature]].
|CastlesReferenced=[[Tenjinyama Fort|| Chausuyama Fort|| Imaichikami Fort|| Gyoichiyama Fort|| Besshoyama Fort|| Tochidaniyama Fort|| Nakataniyama Fort|| Kashiwadaniyama Fort|| Hayashitaniyama Fort|| Tohnoyama Fort|| Shinmeiyama Fort|| Dogiyama Fort|| Tagamiyama Castle|| Tabeyama Castle|| Shizugatake Fort|| Oiwayama Fort|| Iwasakiyama Fort]]
}}