Hikone Castle

Hikone Castle is designated as the national treasure and located in Hikone-shi, Shiga.

It is 1622 years about 400 years ago that Hikone Castle was made. This castle was built from the first as a castle where a feudal lord usually resides of Mr. Ii who is a Fudai daimyo of the method of Tokugawa who won by the Battle of Sekigahara. Since the construction start in 1603, it has been a famous castle of the world which spent the time for 19 years until it results in completion very much. Construction of a castle having taken time this much is having died of an illness, although Naomasa Ii at the time of the Battle of Sekigahara desired construction of a castle, and the left-behind vassal having inherited Naomasa's last wish, and having begun construction-of-a-castle construction, and it is because it became a carpenter over 3 terms. There are circumstances currently used as Mr. Ii's castle where a feudal lord usually resides from generation to generation to the Meiji Restoration after that. Moreover, Hikone Castle escapes demolition by HaijyoRei of the Meiji government, is one of the precious castles which have limited the figure to the present, was designated as the old national treasure in 1931 for the skirt, and is designated as the national treasure in 1952. The number of the castles incidentally designated as the national treasure is four also in the whole country. They are Himeji Castle (Hyogo Prefecture), Inuyama Castle (Aichi Prefecture) and Matsumoto Castle (Nagano Prefecture), and here Hikone Castle. Hikone Castle at the time of a cherry tree was visited this time. A site is vast anyhow and the cherry tree of the Utibori and Sotobori circumference is very impressive. When an Ote bridge is crossed and you walk in the direction of Bairin for a while, there is an entrance, and it turns up from here to the right hand, and becomes about 30m ascent toward a castle tower. It passes through the bottom of a passage bridge, from there, shortly, the building called Tenbin-Yagura of an important cultural property crosses a passage bridge, and appears first, and since it has a form like a balance, the name exists. This Tenbin-Yagura is said to have reconstructed the Ote gate of the Nagahama castle which Hideyoshi Toyotomi built. Next, there is a tower similarly called Taikomon-Yagura of an important cultural property. Soon [ if it passes through this / a castle tower ]. The castle tower of Hikone Castle had become the altitude of 126m with the GPS altitude plan. There is about 30m vertical drop with the parking lot in along Uchibori. It seems that this castle tower is designated as the national treasure, and is said to have reconstructed the upper 3 layer of the castle tower of the Otsu castle which Kyogoku Takatugu built although the castle tower itself did not have a not much big impression as it is unexpected. Moreover, from a castle tower, it can overlook to the Hikone street or long distance Lake Biwa with the scenery of a cherry tree. Moreover, if it goes down from here in the direction of Kuromon, there is a daimyo garden called a Genkyu garden and the view of the from here also has a wonderful thing. The scenery of a Genkyu garden will be raised later again.

The cherry tree of the Hikone Castle rampart	The cherry tree near Tenbin-Yagura	Face to a castle tower	The roofing tile and cherry tree of a castle tower
Lake Biwa is overlooked from a castle tower	A castle tower and a cherry tree	Best time to see of the Hikone Castle cherry tree	The flower of a castle tower and a plum
Meet Uchibori	Uchibori's cherry tree	Uchibori's cherry tree	An Omotemon bridge is desired far
Parking fee	The cherry tree of an Omotemon bridge and a rampart	Uchibori and an Omotemon bridge	A cherry tree, Uchibori, and a dog run
The swan which plays to Uchibori	The way along Uchibori	An Ote bridge and an exciting cherry tree	The cherry tree along Sotobori
The cherry tree which leans against a rampart alluringly	Admission fee	The cherry tree near the Sawa mouth Tamon tower	The cherry tree near a civic hall