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Gassan Toda Castle, which was located in the area of Gassan and was the base of Amago, was one of the most important fort in the Sengoku period as its scale and impregnable. It is also famous that Shikanosuke Yamanaka, a sad warlord who endures hardships, was in. It is said that it was the Heike’s Evil Shichibe Tairano-kagekiyo built this castle during the Hogen and Heiji era, but there are other theories Sasaki Takatsuna or Do Yoshikiyo built; however whether who built this castle is not clear yet. However, it is estimated that the castle was built between the Bunji era to the Nagahiro era (1163-1189).

There are the statue and the memorial tower of Shikanosuke Yamanaka who carried out the loyalty to the master, and the old road with the stone wall and the cobblestone which remains the appearance of old that time. It was designated as a national historic site in 1934, and in 2006 it was selected as one of the 100 best castles in Japan (No.65).

Gassan Toda Castle is known as never destroyed castle at once. Because this castle could be attacked only from the three directions of Sugataniguchi, Okomoriguchi, Shiotaniguchi, and even if the lower level of the castle interior falls, still could prevent at the yamanaka palace in the middle, and even if it falls there ,could climb the main mountain of Gassan, and the moat was built on the top for defense.

　There is a place called Taiko-no-dan that there is a drum which told the emergency, and ordinary told the hour. Nowadays, in spring, a lot of cherry blossoms bloom.

　Gassan Toda Castle was most gorgeous in the period of Amago, who was the guardian of Kyogoku. Tsunehisa Amago is best amongst all of them.

　Tsunehisa became independent as a sengoku daimyo against the guardian Kyogoku Masatsune. Tsunehisa was then ousted from Toda Castle because of this conflict, but there is an anecdote that he succeeded in recapturing Toda Castle dramatically in 1541. Until he die at the age of 84 (1541), he was the most prosperous in that time.
　In the time of Haruhisa Amago, he was invaded by Mori Motonari; however finally the castle was surrendered and recaptured by Yoshihisa Amago with his army.