Hikone Castle
彦根城 · Shiga Prefecture · Hikone City
Mount Hikone, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa; a flatland-hill castle, one of Japan's twelve castles with a surviving original keep, and a National Treasure.
Know before you go
- Red lines: do not push or go against the flow on the keep's steep stairs. Taboos: no photography where forbidden in the museum, and do not touch armour, screens or other exhibits. Good manners: remove shoes on entering the keep and follow the flow of visitors. Common mistakes for outsiders: (1) wearing sandals on the keep's steep stairs, making ascent and descent very awkward
- (2) seeing only the keep and missing Genkyuen's seasonal views and the museum.
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
The Ii clan and Hikone Castle
Hikone Castle served as the Ii clan’s seat during the Edo period, and its main keep survives. Ii Naosuke, a senior shogunal official from the same family, linked the castle’s history to Japan’s political transition in the nineteenth century.
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
after Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered Ii Naomasa to build the castle; Naomasa died of illness in 1602, and his sons Naotsugu and Naotaka continued it; the keep was completed around 1607 and the whole castle around 1622; the keep was moved from Otsu Castle and the Tenbin Turret from Nagahama Castle, hence the nickname “recycled castle”; the Ii held it for about 260 years; it was designated a National Treasure in 1952; the Hikone Castle Museum holds Ii family armour, paintings and letters.
Local customs
- (1) Climb the keep (天守) for views over Lake Biwa and the castle town
- (2) stroll Genkyuen Garden (玄宮園) and Rakurakuen (楽々園)
- (3) see Ii family relics at Hikone Castle Museum (彦根城博物館)
- (4) tour surviving structures such as Tenbin Turret (天秤櫓) and Taikomon Turret (太鼓門櫓)
- (5) meet Hikonyan (ひこにゃん), on an irregular schedule.
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- Red lines: do not push or go against the flow on the keep's steep stairs. Taboos: no photography where forbidden in the museum, and do not touch armour, screens or other exhibits. Good manners: remove shoes on entering the keep and follow the flow of visitors. Common mistakes for outsiders: (1) wearing sandals on the keep's steep stairs, making ascent and descent very awkward
- (2) seeing only the keep and missing Genkyuen's seasonal views and the museum.
Locals appreciate DO
Please respect local residents, open areas, and on-site rules.
Plan your visit
Practical info
| Getting there | Intercity: about 15–20 minutes on foot from JR Hikone Station on the Tokaido Main Line (Biwako Line). Local: on foot. Tickets and payment: JR takes IC cards or paper tickets; combined castle and museum tickets are sold separately. Fare scales are several hundred to about a thousand yen, as officially published. |
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Travel tips
- Half a day is enough
- about 1,200 cherry trees bloom in cherry season, when crowds are large — visit off-peak. Keep entry may be limited, requiring queues, as on site.
Maps & transport notes
The pin marks the area around Hikone Castle’s main keep.
Sources & verification notes
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