Wakae Castle was built by the Hatakeyama clan, the guardian of Kawachi Province, in the early Muromachi period and has endured numerous wars ever since. During the Tensho era, Christian Ikeda Tangonokami Norimasa became the castle's lord and built a church and other structures, making it a center of Christianity in Kawachi, alongside Yao, Sanka (present-day Daito City), and Okayama (present-day Shijonawate City). However, no records of its use as a base for Nobunaga's attacks on Ishiyama Honganji Temple were found, and it remained a "phantom castle" for a long time. However, excavations conducted after 1972 uncovered part of a moat surrounding the castle's center, confirming its existence once again. It measures approximately 380 meters east to west and 280 meters north to south (Kadokawa Japanese Place Name Dictionary). A monument marking the castle site currently stands at the foot of the footbridge in front of Wakae Community Center, but much about the castle remains a mystery.