Often referred to as Shirakawa-jō (白河城) or the amalgamated Shirakawa-Komine Castle, Komine-jō was first established in 1340 by Yūki Chikatomo. Expanded and heavily reconstructed by Niwa Nagashige from 1628, it was renamed and completed in its current form in 1632. Laid siege to by pro-government forces in the Boshin War in 1868, the castle burned to the ground in an ensuing fire. The site was left as ruins until 1991, when reconstruction of the central keep and main gate was begun using traditional materials (completed in 1994).