Asakura clan
During the early Sengoku period, the area around Ōno was under the control of the Asakura clan; however Ōno was also a major stronghold of the "Ikkō-ikki" movement. After both the Asakura and the "Ikkō-ikki" were destroyed by Oda Nobunaga in 1575, he assigned the area to his general Kanamori Nagachika under the regional control of Shibata Katsuie. Kanamori began the construction of Ōno Castle using the latest contemporary designs, and the castle was completed by 1580.