The Valiant General: Katsuie Shibata and Oichi, Nobunaga's Sister, at Their Final Place Shibata Shrine, located in Fukui City, enshrines Katsuie Shibata, a figure from the Warring States period, as its main deity, and his wife Oichi as a secondary deity. Within the shrine grounds, there is also the San-shimai Shrine, which enshrines Oichi's three daughters. The shrine is said to be located on the former site of the main enclosure of Kitano-sho Castle, Katsuie's residence. Although the exact time of its construction is unknown, there is a stone shrine dedicated to Katsuie and Oichi. It was protected as a shrine within Fukui Castle, which was built on the ruins of Kitano-sho Castle. This offering is a set of three items (or two?), including a double-page goshuin (shrine stamp) for "Shibata Shrine" and "San-shimai Shrine," and a history booklet. Katsuie and Oichi were famous as a couple bound by a deep bond, even to the point of committing suicide together. Shibata Shrine, which enshrines the two, is called the "Shrine of Bonds," and is known as a shrine for matchmaking, with the blessings of bonds between couples, siblings, and families. In 1583, Katsuie, attacked by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was his rival, set fire to his castle and met a tragic end along with his wife Oichi, the sister of Oda Nobunaga, and his family. At the same time, the castle also met its short life of only eight years. Luis Frois, a Spanish missionary who visited the castle, was impressed by its grandeur, including the nine-story keep. It is said to have been the largest castle in Japan, surpassing Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle. Currently, the shrine preserves oni-gawara (demon tiles), which are large roof-end tiles from the castle.