Shibata Castle's foundations date from sometime in the early Kamakura period, although the exact date has not been determined. The present castle was established by Mizoguchi Hidekatsu in 1597, reaching completion in 1654. A fire ravaged the site in 1719, but the castle was rebuilt shortly thereafter. No central keep was ever constructed, although a three-storey turret (the Sangai-yagura) did watch over one section of the walls. Only the Sumi-yagura and Omote-mon main gate survived Meiji-era demolition following 1873. In 2004, the city restored the Tatsumi-yagura and Sangai-yagura (the latter presently inaccessible since it sits on land occupied by Japan's Self Defense Force).