Tamaru Castle was built by Kitabatake Chikafusa in 1336 during the warring years of the Northern and Southern courts. Because of its proximity to Ise Jingu, it was embroiled in many battles as a strategic point. In 1575, Oda Nobukatsu, second son of Oda Nobunaga took over from the Kitabatake clan as part of his father’s invasion of Ise, building a three-story castle tower and becoming castellan. The castle tower was burnt down in 1580. During the Edo Period, Tamaru became the domain of the Kishu Tokugawa family. The castle was largely dismantled during the Meiji Period at the end of the 19th century, but some remains, including the foundation stones of the castle tower, stone walls and the moat, are still there.
