Yataki Castle Site

Yataki Castle was built in 1528 on a hill 634 meters above sea level to guard the road linking the Iwami Ginzan silver mine to its main supply port at Yunotsu. Its round keep had a clear sightline across the road and toward Yahazu Castle on the opposite hillside. Control changed hands repeatedly as warlords competed for the mine, but the castle lost its purpose once the Tokugawa shogunate took over in the early 1600s. The summit was later expanded for a wartime radar base and later a broadcast facility. A trail to the peak takes under an hour.