Siege of Nanao

The 1577 siege of Nanao was one of many sieges undertaken by Uesugi Kenshin, a daimyo of Japan's Sengoku period. The castle of Nanao, which was under possession by Hatakeyama Yoshitaka, was at first attacked by the lord of the Uesugi, Uesugi Kenshin in 1576. In 1577, Kenshin reduced the outlying fortresses that supported the castle of Nanao, beginning a new siege. The castle held out until autumn, by which time Yoshitaka had sent a message to Oda Nobunaga in order to seek his assistance. Before Nobunaga had time to respond, however, the castle fell. This was caused partly by disease among the garrison, which ended up even claiming the life of Yoshitaka himself. A traitor among the Hatakeyama opened the gates for Kenshin, also contributing heavily to the castle's fall.