Hikone

Few cities in Shiga Prefecture have a history as closely tied to the Ii clan and the feudal Hikone Domain as Hikone. On Lake Biwa’s eastern shore, the city developed as a castle town under the Ii, hereditary daimyō who held an influential position in the Tokugawa shogunate. Hikone Castle, completed in the early 17th century, preserves one of Japan’s 12 surviving original castle keeps; its compact main tower is a National Treasure. Beside the castle, Genkyūen is an Edo-period strolling garden associated with the Ii family, arranged around a central pond with views toward the keep. Browse other webcams across Shiga Prefecture to place Hikone and Lake Biwa in a wider geographic context.

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