280px, Hikone City Hall is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in Shiga Prefecture,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 111,958 in 49066 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 570 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Hikone is located in central Shiga Prefecture, on 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 is a List of national parks of Japan, Quasi-National Park in Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on 24 July 1950 and has an area of . In June 1993 an area of 65,984 Hectare, ha beside Lake Biwa was designated a Ramsar si ...

Neighboring municipalities

Shiga Prefecture *

Maibara is a city in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 38,259 in 14761 households and a population density of 150 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Maibara is located in northcentral Shiga Pr ...

* Higashiōmi *

Taga Taga may refer to: Places ;Japan * Taga District, Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture * Hitachi-Taga Station in Ibaraki Prefecture * Yamashiro-Taga Station in Kyoto Prefecture * Taga, Shiga in Shiga Prefecture *Taga-taisha, a Shinto shrine in Shiga Prefec ...

* Kōra * Toyosato * Aishō

Climate

Hikone has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(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 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).

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hikone has increased steadily over the past 60 years.

History

Hikone is part of ancient Ōmi Province and was originally a market town that developed around a Buddhist temple called Hogon-ji which was founded in the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

. The site was a natural bottleneck on the route of the

Tōsandō is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. It is part of the ''Gokishichidō'' system. It was situated along the central mountains of northern Honshu, specifically th ...

(later the Nakasendō) highway connecting

Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...

with the eastern provinces. Hikone is home to two former post stations,

Toriimoto-juku 280px, Arikawa Akadama Jinkyokan in Toriimoto-juku (ICP) was the sixty-third of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto in Edo period Japan. It was located in the present-day city of Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, ...

and

Takamiya-juku was the sixty-fourth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto in Edo period Japan. It was located in the present-day city of Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, on the right bank of the Inukami River. History ...

on the Nakasendō and the

Chōsenjin Kaidō The was a travel route during the Edo period in Ōmi Province, Japan. It received its name because it was used about 12 times by representatives of the Joseon (朝鮮) Dynasty in modern-day Korea during the Joseon missions to Japan. It was also ...

also passed through the area. Strategically, it was a vital point in projecting the capital from attack from the east. In the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, this area was controlled by the

Azai clan The , also rendered as Asai, was a Japanese clan during the Sengoku period. History The Azai was a line of ''daimyōs'' (feudal lords) seated at Odani Castle in northeastern Ōmi Province, located within present day Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture. ...

, who were based in northern Ōmi, and who built a castle called Sawayama Castle. The Azai were defeated by

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

, who assigned Sawayama Castle to his general

Niwa Nagahide , also known as Gorōzaemon (五郎左衛門), his other legal alias was Hashiba Echizen no Kami (羽柴越前守), was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through Azuchi-Momoyama periods of the 16th century. He served as senior retainer to the Od ...

. Under

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

, this closest advisor,

Ishida Mitsunari Ishida Mitsunari (, 1559 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the A ...

was entrusted with the castle. After Ishida Mitsunari was defeated at the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

in 1601,

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

appointed his general Ii Naomasa as ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

'' of a new domain centered at Sawayama Castle. Ii Naomasa began the construction of

Hikone Castle is a Japanese Edo period, Edo-period Japanese castle located in the city of Hikone, Shiga, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan It is considered the most significant historical building in Shiga. The site has been protected as a Historic Sites of Ja ...

, which was completed by his son

Ii Naokatsu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period who served the Tokugawa clan. He was also known as Ii Naotsugu. His childhood name was Manchiyo (万千代). Naokatsu succeeded to family headship following his father's death in 1602. Under Tokugawa I ...

in 1622. The area remained under the control of Hikone Domain through the end of the

Edo Period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

. The town of Hikone was established on April 1, 1889 within

Inukami District, Shiga is a district located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 23,638 and a density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most ...

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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 2003, meetings were held to discuss the merger of Hikone with the towns of Toyosato, Kōra, and

(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..

Government

Hikone has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

city council of 24 members. Hikone, collectively with the towns of Inukami District, contributes four members to the Shiga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Shiga 2nd district of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

The key industries of Hikone are the manufacturing of butsudan,

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

s, and

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

Bridgestone is a Japanese multinational tire manufacturer founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (1889–1976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of , meaning 'stone bridge' in Japan ...

has a tire manufacturing plant here. Fujitec,

Ohmi Railway is a Japanese private railway company which operates in Shiga Prefecture, and a member of the Seibu group since 1943. The company is named after the Ōmi Province, the former name of the present-day Shiga. The railway is nicknamed by local users ...

, and Heiwadō (the largest supermarket chain in Shiga) are headquartered in Hikone. In 1999, 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.

Education

There are three universities in Hikone: Seisen University, Shiga University, and The University of Shiga Prefecture (USP). Hikone is also the home of the

Japan Center for Michigan Universities The (JCMU) is a study center operated by a consortium of the 15 public universities in the State of Michigan and the government of Shiga Prefecture in Japan. It is located on the shores of Lake Biwa, in the city of Hikone. Founded in 1989, JCMU of ...

(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 is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ma ...

and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

, as well as courses in English for 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 the handicapped. There are also two private high schools.

Transportation

Railway

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

– Biwako Line * - - - Ohtetsu Logomark

–

Main Line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

* - - - -

Highway

Meishin Expressway The , or Nagoya-Kōbe Expressway is a toll expressway in Japan. It runs from a junction with the Tōmei Expressway in Komaki, Aichi (outside Nagoya) west to Nishinomiya, Hyōgo (between Osaka and Kobe). It is the main road link between Osaka and ...

* *

Sister cities

Hikone is twinned with the following two cities.International relations
Retrieved 7 November 2012 *

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

, USA (1969) * Xiangtan,

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

, China

Local attractions

, National Treasure and Special National Historic Site *

Kōjinyama Kofun The is a Kofun period burial mound located between the Hinatsu and Kiyosaki neighborhoods of the city of Hikone Shiga Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 2011. Overview The ...

, National Historic Site * Sawayama Castle ruins * Lake Biwa * Carrom, unlike in most parts of Japan, carrom is still popular in Hikone ever since it was introduced in the early 20th century.

Noted people from Hikone

Oniroku Dan was a Japanese author who has been called, "the most celebrated writer of popular SM novels in Japan." Many of his stories have been filmed, most notably by Nikkatsu studio in their ''Roman Porno'' series. Dan had a close professional associati ...

* Yoshihide Fukao * Takanori Nishikawa *

Hikonyan is a mascot created by the city government of Hikone, Japan. He was created in 2007 to mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of Hikone Castle. The character design is derived from a legend concerning Ii Naotaka, the 3rd Lord of Hikone. The '' ...

Yoshihide Kiryū is a Japanese sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres. Born in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Kiryū played football while at elementary school and became interested in track and field at junior high school, as his brother took part in the sp ...

Ippei Shimamura is a Japanese anthropologist who is best known for his ethnographic work on shamanism and ethnic identity among Mongol Buryats, which has won multiple awards. Currently he is Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology and Mongolian Studies in t ...

Kizo Yasui was a Japanese corporate executive. He held the positions of the chairman of the board of directors of Toray Industries, vice-president of Mitsui Bank, president of Mitsui Petrochemicals Industries, vice-chairman of Nihon Keidanren (Japan Busi ...

References

External links

Hikone City official website

Information on the Japan Center for Michigan Universities and its academic programs
{{Authority control Cities in Shiga Prefecture Hikone, Shiga