Description

【Hikone Castle】

Hikone Castle, a national treasure was completed in 1607, just after that decisive battle at SEKIGAHAR, when many building materials were transported from Otsu castle where the early skirmish was fought. It is said that the castle has not only a perfect beauty of the external appearance but also deep ingenuity on the military matters.

There are 4 valuable Yaguras, all of which are important cultural properties. (Yagura refers to a turret, built in the castle, as a guard tower or a watchtower.) A stable in a castle is very rare and has remained only in this castle. Twenty-one horses used to be kept here for the domain’s head and chief retainers under that neat shake roof.

The gorgeous cherry blossoms at Hikone Castle are chosen as one of the top 100 sites in Japan. Guests can meet the cutest mascot "Hikonyan" at the Castle.

Genkyu-en is an attached circuit style garden to the castle, built in 1677. The path is skillfully laid for leading guests to 4 teahouses, which reminds us that the garden used to be a social arena those days for Daimyos.

Guests can visit and take a walk along “Yumekyobashi Castle Road”, after enjoying Hikone castle. It is said dividing and distributing the town started from this area when the castle began to be built. The street is unified like merchant houses in Edo Period with white board and black grating, so that guests can feel as if they were walking in the castle town in those days. There are many Japanese-style and western restaurants and confection stores, and locally produced goods as well.

【Nagahama Castle】

Old Nagahama area used to be under the Azai’s up to 1573, when Nobunaga beat Nagamasa at the War of Ane River. Hideyoshi, who contributed a lot during the war too, was given the KOHOKU area, and built his own castle here in 1576. The castle was built just in front of Lake Biwa, so a part of the stone-walls was founded from the shore, so boats were able to go in and out from the water gate in the castle.

For the hero of the Provincial war era, it was the first castle built by his own power. Though Hideyoshi had been almost away from home, going into battles even to the Korean Peninsula, he was said to have been able to acquire management skills for people from his first domain. (Hideyoshi became Kanpaku, a chief advisor to the emperor in 1585, building Osaka-jyo castle.)

After Hideyoshi, several warlords had lived in the castle, but it was abolished at last in 1615.

Nagahama Castle of today was reconstructed at Ho-koen Park in 1983 and has been managed as “Nagahama Castle Hisorical Museum” and also become the symbol of the main city of KOHOKU.

The elegant cherry blossoms in the park is chosen as one of the top 100 sites in Japan, too.

After Nagahama castle, guests can enjoy walking excursion in central Nagahama, such as Kurokabe and Hikiyama Museum