学生ネットワーク

作品投稿

ホームステイ

彦根と琵琶湖

彦根城

Hikone is a small town with a population of about 100,000 people. It was first mentioned in the Manyoshu, a collection of poems from the 7th and 8th centuries, and has one of the four most popular and beautiful castles in all of Japan. Ii Naosama, a loyal and very capable general of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, was given Hikone as a reward for helping Tokugawa win the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Before to the battle, the Hikone property was the personal territory of Ishida Mitsunari, Tokugawa Ieyasu's main enemy.

Ii Naosama wished to begin the construction of his castle in 1602 but passed away before he could start his project. His son, Ii Naotsugu, carried out his plans and started building the castle in 1603. The castle compound was completed in 1622. Though not as grand as Himeji Castle, Hikone Castle more than makes up for its size with its breathtaking natural surroundings.

Approaching the castle you will notice that the stone walls seem poorly constructed. You will see that the lowers walls are constructed of large fitted boulders. As you walk up the hill, you can see that the gaps between the large boulders have been filled in with smaller stones. This wall design is called the gobo-zumi style and though it looks quite shaky and slapped together, it is actually a very sophisticated style of building that is extremely stable and effective in keeping the building intact during earthquakes. The strength of these walls is underlined by the fact that they have survived over 400 years!

Another tidbit of information that may be of interest is that this castle was made from parts of several castles. As Tokugawa Ieyasu rose to power he wanted to wipe out any memory of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and also wanted to limit the power of the other lords. One of the measures he took was to initiate a "one castle per prefecture" rule. This meant that many castles had to be disassembled. It is from these castles (Kotani, Otsu, and Sawayama Castles specifically) that Hikone Castle is believed to have been constructed.

彦根城

Entry to the castle and grounds will cost you 500 yen (in 2001) and is definitly worth the cost of admission. As you enter the castle's grounds you will come upon the Hikone Hakubutsukan (Hikone Castle Museum). The items that are exhibited come from the Ii family and include permanent exhibits of armor, swords and other weapons, Noh costumes, and other such items. There is also a reconstruction of the administrative and living quarters of the family as well as a Noh stage. In addition to the regular exhibits, every month features a special exhibit that emphisizes certain aspects or characteristics of life in Hikone during the Edo Period (1600-1867).

Also within the museum are several documents that have yet to be completely studied or translated. A good deal of the documents are thought to be related to the opening of Japan to the West. This feat was accomplished by Ii Naosuke but not to his advantage. Ii Naosuke was soon after assassinated at the Sakurada-mon Gate of Edo Castle in March 1860, clearly in response to his international policy.

If you do nothing else at Hikone Castle, be absolutely sure to visit the third story of the castle. As you gaze west a marvelous view of Lake Biwa awaits you. Besides the view, there are several other interesting points to take note of inside the castle. As you make your way up to the third floor, you will notice rectangular, circular and triangular openings in the walls. These are loopholes or "sama" and are openings for weapons to use in defencse of the castle. The triangular sama was used for guns, the circular for cannon and the rectangular for bow and arrow defense. It is very difficult to see these "windows" from the outside as some of the openings are hidden by the roof gables and others have been covered up.

The other interesting thing to check out inside the castle is the construction of the roof and walls. The wood used in the roof support of Hikone castle was not cut into the four-sided beam typically used in construction. The natural curves of the beams adds character and atmosphere to the rooms. If you look closely at the joint of two beams, you will notice that they are joined together by wooden wedges rather than with iron nails or spikes. This "post and beam" style of construction gives the structure more strength and flexibilty to withstand earthquakes. It takes advantage of the same principle that was used to build earthquake resistant pagodas. The rigidity of iron nails tends to crack and split wooden beams during the violent mouvement of an earthquake. However, wooden pegs are more flexible and tend to expand slightly from the friction caused by the earthquake. This makes the fit between the wooden beam and the peg much tighter making the structure more stable.

玄宮園

玄宮園

Be sure to hold on to your ticket to get into the Genkyo-en Garden. This garden is set up in the Chisen-kaiyu style, meaning it is styled around a pond. First created in 1677, it is filled with plants and trees that provide different colors throughout the year. If you have been wanting to get a good picture of the castle here is your chance. The view from the garden is most likely the best view you can get and there will be a lot of people snapping photos of the noble structure on the hill.

Take a walk around the castle grounds and look at all of the defenses that went into protecting the feudal lords of Japan. Though only two of the four moats that were part of the original castle layout still exist you can see how they, along with the castle towers and walls, would keep those unwanted visitors at bay. Of course this castle was built during the Edo Period therefore was never put to the test in battle. On a less practical side, you will notice an incredible amount of trees around the grounds. Over 1000 of these trees show off their splendor in the early Spring by exploding into the soft hues of pink and white of the sakura blossoms.

Lake Biwa

茶室

For those who want to take it easy and still enjoy the sights of the lake, all you have to do is go to Otsu-ko, fork over some cash, and you will be able to take a lazy cruise around the lake. Both the Michigan and the Bianca offer cruises along with a lunch or dinner. The Michigan is a reconstruction of a Mississippi River Boat and prices for its 90 minute cruise and meal start at 2430 yen. There is also a Dixieland Jazz show on board. The pleasure boat Bianca offers a longer tour at 4 hours but also runs a bit more expensive starting at 5060 yen.

If you happen to take a lake cruise on August 8th you will be in for a treat. The Biwako Grand Fireworks Festival launches 10,000 pieces every year. Though not fired very high into the sky the reflection on the lake is a sight to behold.

Considering the combination of the 1000 cherry trees and the third story view of Lake Biwa, and the Genkyo-en Garden, it is quite obvious why Hikone Castle is so well loved and believed to be one of the most beautiful castles in all of Japan.

前号 -

次号 -

目次