Ichishi

Ichishi formed part of the country ruled by the Kitabatake governors of Ise. Akiyoshi became governor in 1338; after Northern Court forces captured Tamaru Castle in 1342, the family is said to have moved its headquarters to mountainous Tage, building a residence and Kiriyama Castle. Their power subsequently extended from Ichishi southwards, and into neighbouring Iga and southern Yamato.

The family retained its governorship after the reunification of the Northern and Southern Courts and developed into a provincial warrior house. Tage nevertheless maintained a courtly character. Goods and cultural influences arrived from Kyoto, Yamato, Owari and Mino, while the residence's garden, associated with Hosokawa Takakuni, is thought to date from around 1521. This combination of mountain stronghold and cultivated residence ended in 1576, when Oda Nobunaga's advance brought the Kitabatake family's roughly two hundred and forty years at Tage to a close.