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17-529: Sawayama Castle ( 佐和山城 , Sawayama-jō ) was a castle in the city of Hikone , Shiga Prefecture , Japan . This castle was an important military stronghold of Ōmi Province . The Azai clan held this castle in the Sengoku Period . Niwa Nagahide held it after the ruin of the Azai clan and later, Ishida Mitsunari in the end of the 16th century. This castle was attacked by Kobayakawa Hideaki after

34-646: A small area south of the castle, called the Yume Kyōbashi Castle Road, was built in the old style and attracts visitors keen to see modern construction fused with traditional looks. Even the Kansai Urban Bank in this district has remodeled itself to fit in with the surrounding structures. There are three universities in Hikone: Seisen University , Shiga University , and The University of Shiga Prefecture (USP). Hikone

51-412: Is a sign reading "The Site of Sawayama Castle." There is also a hiking course that leads to the summit of Mount Sawayama , from which hikers see a panoramic view that includes Hikone Castle and Lake Biwa . 35°16′46.2″N 136°16′8.13″E  /  35.279500°N 136.2689250°E  / 35.279500; 136.2689250 Hikone, Shiga Hikone is located in central Shiga Prefecture, on

68-565: Is also the home of the Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU), a facility operated jointly by a consortium of the fifteen public universities in the State of Michigan and the government of Shiga Prefecture (in coordination with USP) that offers programs for American university students and scholars for the study of Japanese language and culture , as well as courses in English for

85-534: The Battle of Sekigahara . The castle surrendered at half a day though the brother of Mitsunari, Ishida Masazumi and his father Ishida Masatsugu , defended it. Afterwards, Ii Naomasa occupied Sawayama Castle. However, he destroyed it, and moved to Hikone Castle . Much of Sawayama Castle's stone walls and buildings were carried away for use in Hikone Castle. At present, the only indication of this old history

102-608: The Edo Period . The town of Hikone was established on April 1, 1889 within Inukami District, Shiga with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to city status on February 11, 1937 by merging with the neighboring villages of Matsubara, Aonami, Kitaaoyagi, Fukumitsu and Chimoto. The city escaped major damage in World War II . In 2003, meetings were held to discuss the merger of Hikone with

119-730: The Kantō region. After the siege of Osaka, Tokugawa Ieyasu rewarded Naokatsu's younger brother Naotaka with the Ii family headship, and allowed Naokatsu to form a branch family with holdings at the fief of Annaka in Kōzuke Province , worth 30,000 koku . Naokatsu retired in 1632, yielding headship to his son Naoshige. He died in Ōmi Province in 1662. His descendants were moved around several times before having their holdings settle at Itoigawa , in Echigo Province . This biography of

136-647: The Shiga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Shiga 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . The key industries of Hikone are the manufacturing of butsudan , textiles , and valves . Bridgestone has a tire manufacturing plant here. Fujitec , Ohmi Railway , and Heiwadō (the largest supermarket chain in Shiga) are headquartered in Hikone. In 1999,

153-522: The area. Strategically, it was a vital point in protecting the capital from attack from the east. In the Sengoku period , this area was controlled by the Azai clan , who were based in northern Ōmi, and who built a castle called Sawayama Castle. The Azai were defeated by Oda Nobunaga , who assigned Sawayama Castle to his general Niwa Nagahide . Under Toyotomi Hideyoshi , this closest advisor, Ishida Mitsunari

170-686: The citizens of Shiga Prefecture. The Michigan Center, as it is known, was founded in 1989, under the auspices of the Michigan-Shiga Sister State Agreement, the oldest such relationship between a US state and Japanese prefectures. Hikone has 17 public elementary schools and seven public middle schools operated by the city government and one middle school operated by the Shiga Prefectural Department of Education. The prefecture also operates six public high schools and two special education schools for

187-572: The eastern shore of Lake Biwa , and extending inland to the Ibuki Mountains. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Biwako Quasi-National Park . Shiga Prefecture Hikone has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa ) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hikone is 14.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1810 mm with September as

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204-573: The handicapped. There are also two private high schools. [REDACTED] JR West – Biwako Line [REDACTED] Ohmi Railway – Main Line Hikone is twinned with the following two cities: Ii Naokatsu Ii Naokatsu ( 井伊 直勝 , 1590 – August 24, 1662) was a Japanese daimyō of the Edo period who served the Tokugawa clan . He was also known as Ii Naotsugu . His childhood name

221-501: The towns of Toyosato , Kōra , and Taga (all from Inukami District ). However, a survey conducted by the city in February 2004, revealed that most citizens opposed the merger, leading the city government to shelve the proposal. Hikone has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 24 members. Hikone, collectively with the towns of Inukami District, contributes four members to

238-516: The wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.6 °C. The highest recorded temperature was 37.7 °C (July 26, 2014) and the lowest was -11.3 °C (January 23, 1904). Per Japanese census data, the population of Hikone has increased steadily over the past 60 years. Hikone is part of ancient Ōmi Province and

255-502: Was Manchiyo (万千代). Naokatsu succeeded to family headship following his father's death in 1602. Under Tokugawa Ieyasu 's orders, Naokatsu completed construction of Hikone Castle in 1606, and then moved there from Sawayama Castle when it was largely completed. In 1614, as Naokatsu was ill, he sent his brother Ii Naotaka to fight in the Siege of Osaka ; Naokatsu himself was assigned to Annaka Domain , where he undertook security duty in

272-399: Was entrusted with the castle. After Ishida Mitsunari was defeated at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1601, Tokugawa Ieyasu appointed his general Ii Naomasa as daimyō of a new domain centered at Sawayama Castle. Ii Naomasa began the construction of Hikone Castle , which was completed by his son Ii Naokatsu in 1622. The area remained under the control of Hikone Domain through the end of

289-686: Was originally a market town that developed around a Buddhist temple called Hogon-ji which was founded in the Heian period . The site was a natural bottleneck on the route of the Tōsandō (later the Nakasendō ) highway connecting Heian-kyō with the eastern provinces. Hikone is home to two former post stations , Toriimoto-juku and Takamiya-juku on the Nakasendō and the Chōsenjin Kaidō also passed through

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