Barnstorming Through Hikone Castle

After a busy morning exploring the adorable Inuyama, we had just a few hours before arriving at Kyoto, the final stop of our two-week swing through Central Japan. Looking at the route to Kyoto, I noticed the expressway would pass by Shiga Prefecture’s Hikone City (彦根). Hikone is far from the hotspot for foreign tourists, but it is a storied place that holds national significance among the Japanese. This city is most famous for its castle, one of the five castles listed as National Treasures of Japan. Given its reputation, I felt obligated to make a stop here, even just for only an hour or two. How could we possibly do this place justice with such little time?

We were blessed with such a perfect weather.

Like any good castle town, the castle complex is surrounded by moats and horse stables. One thing that immediately jumped out to us was how quiet and serene the entire area was, even compared to the underrated Inuyama. The parking lot we used was practically empty, and the whole complex was eerily silent. It was all the more confusing, considering the glorious weather and the high tourist season. As Japan struggled with over-tourism, this is a vivid reminder that the country has so many wonderful landmarks seemingly ignored by most tourists. Unlike other countries, these “second-tier” sites are just as well taken care of.

Compared to Inuyama, the setup at Hikone is quite impressive. The castle complex is ringed by two concentric water moats and a dry moat. At the time, the castle was located at the shore of Lake Biwa (琵琶湖), Japan’s largest lake. This strategic location sits along the historical Tokaido road (東海道), the most important feudal highway between Tokyo and Kyoto. It is critical in the defense of Kyoto from the east. Hikone has always been a coveted domain during the feudal period and was often entrusted to the Shogun’s most trusted generals.

The Hikone castle and domain were administered to the Ii clan during the Tokugawa shogunate. However, toward the end of the feudal period, the family became disillusioned with the shoguns’s isolationist policies. The family switched allegiance from the shogun to the alliance loyal to the emperor. Although the emperor went on to abolish all feudal domains after the Meiji Restoration, the family retained a close link and business interest to the domain. Due to the loyalty of the Ii clan, Emperor Meiji spared Hikone Castle from his Haijō Edict, the Castle Abolishment Law

The edict was a byproduct of the emperor's drive for political centralization. These castles were considered the remnants of the feudal system. Because of the edict and American air raids during World War II, only twelve of the castles survived with their original wooden keep today. Five of them, including Hikone Castle, were designated as National Treasures of Japan due to their unique historical and architectural values. Himeji Castle was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage, and Hikone became the only one placed on the tentative list. I would be lying to say that had nothing to do with my decision to visit.

As one of the best-preserved Japanese castles, Hikone Castle retained more than 65,000 of original artifacts from the feudal era, now exhibited inside the Hikone Castle Museum. While we did not have the time to visit the museum, it is said to be one of the best castle museums in the country. The museum recreated the living quarters of the samurai lord and it also exhibits the famous Hikone screen (彦根屏風), a National Treasure in its own right. This is also the best place to spot Hikonyan (ひこにゃん), the castle's famous mascot.

Japan is known for its mascot mania. Every municipality and region has its cast of cuddly mascots. Hikonyan was created in 2007 for the 400-anniversary of the castle and became an immediate hit for the Japanese public. Fashioned after the popular maneki-neko cats, the mascot is dressed in the traditional armor of the Ii clan. Hikonyan even won a 2010 national competition among regional mascots. Its success could be measured by the visitors’ number. Hikone received 200,000 more visitors a year after its introduction, and the city estimates the total economic impact to be 218 million.

The ascend of the castle was quite thrilling. Since so many of the ramparts are in excellent condition, visitors can appreciate the complex entrance sequence. Like most castles around the world, the route is full of twists and turns to slow down the invading enemy. The scale of this complex was impressive and certainly more impressive than Inuyama Castle. The series of gates have been restored to their former glory. To save money and time, many of the stoneworks here came from a few nearby decommissioned castles in the region.

Doesn't the main keep look a bit top-heavy?

Before we knew it, we arrived at the uppermost platform and got a full view of the three-story castle keep. It was by no means impressive like Oskaka or Hemiji Castle, but it is perhaps one of the most intricate in the country. The survival of this castle keep is nearly miraculous. The American Air Force originally planned for the firebombing of Hikone on August 15, 1945. By sheer coincidence, Emperor Hirohito announced the country’s unconditional surrender on that same date, which spared the city from destruction by just a few hours. It was crazy to think this magnificent castle would have been lost by the slightest delay. This was a vivid illustration of the destructive nature of modern warfare.

Visitors had to remove shoes to enter the historic keep to preserve the century-old structures. Immediately greeting us was a steep staircase, another feature that made this castle easily defensible. During our visit, there was considerable interior refurbishment, so much of the interior was closed to visitors. The structure comprises a web of curving pine wood beams spanning two directions. Using natural tree trunks on such an otherwise precise structure was astonishing and a testament to the incredible craftsmanship. Even though these castles were prone to fire, they were highly adaptable to frequent earthquakes. The complex brackets and moveable joinery system allowed the structure to sway and mitigate the risk of catastrophic failure.

The historical keep has been kept in a tip-top shape.

Throughout the keep are plenty of embrasures of various shapes and sizes. Hikone Castle looks more like an advanced military castle than Inuyama Castle. Unfortunately, there was no wrap-around balcony on the exterior, and all the opened windows were covered with protective wires, ruining the views. Nowadays, the castle is about a kilometer away from the shore of Lake Biwa because of the land reclamation. The landscape nowadays is dominated by the massive stadiums and housing developments nearby. Between the two, Inuyama has a better view. Ultimately, I am glad we visited both on the same day, as it was an ideal sampling of authentic Japanese castles.

View of Hikone Sports Park from Hikone Castle.

The castle keep is a fascinating example of visual illusion. It took a lot of effort to discern just how big or small the keep is. It is a similar visual trick that Disney employs at Cinderella’s Castle at Disneyland. Both Inuyama and Hikone appear small from afar. Compared to Western castles, Japanese castles like Hikone seem delicate and diminutive as their decorative elements and keeps are made of wood and plaster. It was somewhat of a miracle that Japan continued constructing these obsolete castles toward the end of the feudal period when Western weaponry was in all the rage.

With the clock ticking, we did not have the luxury to linger and explore every nook and cranny of the castle. However, we made the point to explore Genkyu-en (玄宮園). This was the private strolling-style garden for the castle lords and was constructed in 1678 by Ii Naoki, the fourth lord of Hikone. The garden is said to have been inspired by a villa of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty China at Donting Lake. A complex hydraulic system feeds the artificial pounds with water from Lake Biwa. The design is supposed to mimic the eight “famous views” of the Tang villas. A series of artificial islands was supposed to have symbolic meanings behind my comprehension. This is also the best spot to photograph the castle’s keep.

Since we visited Kanazawa’s famous Kenroku-en only a few days prior, I found Genkyu-en more enjoyable. There were fewer visitors, and this garden felt more intimate and intricate. It has nine bridges and eight pavilions dotted across the grounds. The layering of views is more scenic to a garden novice like myself. A few pavilions offer cultural exhibits or simple tea ceremonies; it felt far less “commercial” than its counterparts in Kanazawa. Genkyu-en may be an ideal place for quiet contemplation, and we were surely guilty of rushing through our visit. Since Japan is famously a “country with four seasons,” it is worth a return visit anytime of the year.

Genkyu-en is designated as a national cultural landmark.

With limited time, we barnstormed through the Hikone Castle complex in just two hours. While we saw the main highlight, we missed many popular attractions, such as the castle museum and the boat excursions around the outer moat. While many would visit Hikone as a day trip from Kyoto, it seems like a decent place to spend a night. Hikone has invested a lot in refurbishing its neighborhood for tourism in recent decades. The most visible redevelopment project is Yumekyobashi Castle Road (夢京橋キャッスルロード). The tree-lined boulevard aligns with the main gate of the castle complex and is lined with buildings evoking the aesthetics of Edo-era architecture. It is honestly inauthentic but in a good way.

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Barnstorming Through Hikone Castle

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