Hikone, Shiga
Hikone (彦根市; -shi) is a city located in Shiga, Japan.
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 108,613 and the density of 1,106.60 persons per km². The total area is 98.15 km².
The city was founded on February 11, 1937.
Hikone's most famous historical site is Hikone Castle. Its construction was begin in 1603 by Ii Naokatsu, son of the former lord Ii Naomasa, but was not completed until 1622. Naokatsu's lands had been taken from him in the interval by the Tokugawa shogunate, and when his brother Naotake assumed control of the Omi area, he was able to complete the castle by collecting stones from the former Sawayama castle. When the Meiji era began in 1868, many castles were schedules to be dismantled, and only a request from the emperor himself, touring the area, kept Hikone-jo intact. Today it remains one of the oldest original-construction castles in Japan.
Hikone lies on the Nakasendo, which was one of the most important trading routes until modern times. Today, a small area south of the castle, called the Yume Kyobashi Castle Road, is built in the old style and attracts visitors keen to see modern construction fused with traditional looks. Even the
