彦根城について
About Hikone Castle
1国宝 彦根城天守、
附櫓及び多聞櫓
Castle Main Keep
(National Treasure),
Attached Turret, and Tamon-yagura Turret
天守は3階3重の屋根で構成されています。屋根は「切妻破風（きりづまはふ）」「入母屋破風（いりおもやはふ）」「唐破風（からはふ）」を多様に配しており、2階と3階には「花頭窓（かとうまど）」、3階には高欄付きの「廻縁（まわりえん）」を巡らせるなど外観に重きを置き、変化に富んだ美しい姿を見せています。
The main keep is constructed of three floors with three layers of roofs. The roofs comprise a mix of Kirizumahafu (gables without a bottom edge), Irimoyahafu (gables whose edges form the natural edge of the roof), and Karahafu (curved gables without a bottom edge). The second and third floors feature bell-shaped windows, while the third floor is encircled by balconies with handrails. All of these elements highlight the exterior of the structure, making it both beautiful and multi-faceted.
大津城から移築されたといわれ、政治的象徴としての外観の美しさだけでなく、城本来の機能である軍事面でも優れています。昭和27年（1952年）に国宝に指定。
彦根城以外の国宝天守は、姫路城・松本城・犬山城・松江城だけです。
夜間はライトアップされ彦根市のランドマークとして市民に親しまれています。
The keep is said to have been taken from Otsu Castle and rebuilt here. In addition to serving as a visually striking political symbol, it also excels in its martial function as a castle. It was designated a national treasure in 1952.
Only a few other castles have main keeps designated as national treasures, including Himeji Castle, Matsumoto Castle, Inuyama Castle, and Matsue Castle.
Lit up at night, the castle is beloved by local residents as a landmark of Hikone.
2重要文化財
彦根城西の丸三重櫓及び続櫓
Important Cultural Property
Hikone Castle Nishi-no-Maru Three-Story Turret and Adjoining Turret
西の丸の西に建つ櫓で、さらに西に張り出した出曲輪との間に深い堀切が設けられています。西方の搦め手（裏手）からの敵に備えた守りの要でした。三重櫓は、この搦め手を見下ろす位置に設けられ平時には琵琶湖を監視する役目もありました。
These turrets stand on the west of Nishi-no-Maru and feature a deep moat between them and the castle compound further west. They were important defensive structures against enemies attacking from the western rear gate. The Three-Story Turret was built to overlook this rear gate, and it was used to look out on Lake Biwa during times of peace.
3重要文化財
彦根城太鼓門及び続櫓
Important Cultural Property
Hikone Castle Taikomon-yagura Turret and Adjoining Turret
天守がある本丸表口をかためる櫓門で、城内合図の太鼓を置いたところから名付けられたと言われています。建物の背面が解放され、高欄付きの廊下となっており、櫓では大変稀な構造となっています。なお、解体修理に伴う部材調査によりどこかの城門を移築したものであることが判明しています。
The turret gate, named after the taiko drums once placed there for signaling within the castle, protects the main entrance of the inner citadel. The rear of the structure opens to a corridor with a railing, a construction that is very rare for a turret. Furthermore, the materiel survey undertaken when it was disassembled for repair revealed that it was made from another gate transferred from a different castle.
4重要文化財
彦根城天秤櫓
Important Cultural Property
Hikone Castle Tenbin-yagura Turret
大手門と表門からの両坂道を登りつめたところにあります。目の前の廊下橋は戦時には落とすと伝わり、表門山道、大手門山道を上がってきた敵兵が天秤櫓の高い石垣を登らないと本丸へ侵入できませんので重要な拠点となります。この廊下橋に接続する櫓門部分を中央に、両坂道に面している多聞櫓の角を二重櫓とすることで、左右対称となっており、天秤櫓の名の由来となっています。他の城から移築したものと考えられます。建物土台の石垣は向かって右側が築城当時の打込みハギ積み、左側が江戸時代後期の改修による落とし積みとなっています。
This turret is found at the top of the slopes that come from both the Otemon gate and the front gate. The corridor bridge in front of it is said to have been removed during a battle, preventing invaders from reaching the inner citadel, as enemy soldiers could not scale the high stone walls of the Tenbin-yagura Turret. This made it a crucial location for the castle. This turret features a symmetrical construction, with the gate connecting to the corridor bridge placed in the center and two-storied corners of the Tenbin-yagura Turret ("Balance Turret") facing the two slopes. This is how the Tenbin-yagura Turret got its name. It is believed that this was brought here from another castle. The stone walls on the right side of the structure’s foundation are of the Uchikomi-hagi style (wedged stone walls), common when the castle was originally built, while the left side is constructed in the Otoshi-zumi style (diagonally stacked stone walls), used during repairs in the late Edo Period.
5時報鐘
Time-Keeping Bell (Jihosho)
城全体に響くようにと『鐘の丸』より移されたもので、今も定時に鐘がつかれ「日本の音風景百選」に選ばれています。
幕末期12代藩主直亮の時に、より美しい音色にしようと鋳造のさい大量の小判が投入されました。
隣接する聴鐘庵は茶屋として薄茶（お菓子付¥500）を楽しむことができます。（9:00〜16:00）
Transferred from Kane-no-Maru to resonate through the entire castle, this bell is still rung regularly and has been selected as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan.
During the reign of the 12th feudal lord Naoaki at the end of the Edo Period, a large amount of koban coins were included in the casting to produce a more beautiful tone.
The adjoining Chosho-an offers a place to enjoy a light matcha tea (500 yen with confectionery). (9:00 AM–4:00 PM)
6観音台
Kannon Terrace
養老4年（710）近江の国司藤原房前（ふささき）によって、彦根山に一寸八分の観音像を本尊とした彦根寺が建立されました。金の亀に乗った観音さまを安置する御堂があったといわれています。
観音さまについては目に御利益があると言われ、そのうわさは京にも広まり、白河上皇や大臣はじめ多くの人が彦根山観音に参詣されたと言い伝えがあります。
Hikone Temple was built on Mt. Hikone in 710 by Fujiwara no Fusasaki, the provincial governor of Omi, with an approximately five-centimeter image of the deity Kannon as its principal object of worship. It is said that there was a hall built to enshrine the image that depicts Kannon astride a golden turtle.
It was also believed that this Kannon granted blessings for one’s eyes, and this rumor reached the capital of Kyoto, leading to stories of many people, including Emperor Emeritus Shirakawa and his ministers, coming to Mt. Hikone to worship the image.
7山崎郭（山崎曲輪跡）
Yamazaki-kaku (Yamazaki Enclosure ruins)
木俣屋敷があった場所で、凱旋した井伊直孝を迎えた場所といわれています。かつて山崎門がありました。
訪れる人は少ないですが、木々に囲まれ静かな空間がぽかりと広がり、こころ安らぐ場所です。
四季を通してのんびりと美しい場所。
This area was home to the Kimata Residence and is said to be where Ii Naotaka was welcomed back from his triumphant return. There also used to be the Yamazaki Gate here.
The site sees few visitors, but the quiet atmosphere surrounded by trees offers a wide-open space that calms the spirit.
It is a beautiful, peaceful place throughout the seasons.
8梅林
Plum Grove
かつて、彦根城の公儀御用米の米蔵があった場所。
例年は、3月中旬から下旬にかけて、紅梅・白梅など約450本が春の訪れを告げます。
彦根城が新日本観光地百選に選ばれたのを記念して、この梅は植えられました。
This was once the location of the official rice granary for Hikone Castle.
Each year, red and white plum blossoms bloom on around 450 trees from mid through late March, heralding the arrival of spring.
These plum trees were planted to commemorate Hikone Castle's selection as one of the 100 New Japan Travel Destinations.
9重要文化財
馬屋
Important Cultural Property
Horse Stable
藩主などの馬21頭がつながれていたといわれ、城内に残る馬屋は全国でも彦根城にしかない珍しい建物です。平成27年度に二度目の本格的な文化財保存修理を終え、往時の姿を取り戻したこけら葺きの屋根が美しい馬屋です。
This horse stable, the only one remaining within the grounds of a castle, is said to have housed 21 horses belonging to the feudal lord and his subordinates. Having completed its second authentic cultural property repairs in 2015, the stable now boasts a beautiful shingled roof that restores its original look.
10名勝 玄宮園
Scenic Spot: Genkyu-en Garden
玄宮園は下屋敷である槻御殿（現楽々園）に伴う後園として江戸時代前期に作庭された大規模な池泉回遊式庭園です。中央に掘られた池泉には大小4つの中島が築かれ、さまざまな形式の橋が架けられて自由な回遊性を確保するとともに庭園内の景観にもなっていました。武蔵野から眺める手前の池、中ほどに鳳翔台（茶席）遠方上部の天守がバランスがとれた絵葉書的景色で皆様を楽しませます。また紅葉をはじめとする、玄宮園内の木々や草花が四季折々の表情を見せています。
Genkyu-en Garden is a vast rear garden attached to the feudal villa Keyaki Palace (now Rakuraku-en Villa), created in the early Edo Period with a path surrounding a central pond. The large pond, hollowed out in the center of the garden, features four islands of varying sizes, with bridges of different styles connecting them, allowing free access to stroll and view the entire garden. When viewed from the Musashino Plaza with the pond in the foreground, the Hosho-dai guest house in the middle, and the castle main keep high in the distance, the garden provides a well-balanced scene worthy of a postcard. The garden’s trees and plants, including maples, show a different character throughout the seasons.
11鳳翔台
Hosho-dai Guest House
鳳凰が大空に向かって舞い上がる場所、という意味で名付けられたと伝える恰好の高台です。「鳳翔台」の名は、江戸時代に描かれた「玄宮園図」に玄宮園十勝（名勝10箇所）の1つとして描かれています。絵図には高台の下に華やかに飾った舟も描かれており、時には舟遊びに興じることもありました。
This beautiful hill is said to have received its name to signify it as a place where the phoenix soars high in the sky. The name Hosho-dai is listed as one of ten scenic spots on a map of Genkyu-en Garden drawn in the Edo Period. The map also features a brilliantly depicted boat at the base of the hill, suggesting boating as one form of amusement at the time.
12名勝 楽々園
Scenic Spot: Rakuraku-en Villa
現在、楽々園と呼んでいる範囲は延宝5年（1677）に4代直興によって造営されたと伝わる下屋敷の範囲であり、江戸時代には「槻御殿」などの名前で呼ばれていました。この槻御殿は下屋敷であると同時に「隠居所」としても使用され、13代直弼は隠居していた11代直中の子としてこの槻御殿で産声をあげています。槻御殿については平成17年度より歴史的建造物の保存修理事業を実施しています。
The area now called Rakuraku-en is said to be the site where the fourth lord, Ii Naooki, built a residence in 1677, which was known as Keyaki Palace at the time. Although a residence of the feudal lord, it was also used as a place of retirement. The 13th lord, Naosuke, was born here as the son of the 11th lord, Naonaka, during his retirement. Keyaki Palace has been undergoing historical building preservation work since 2005.
13重要文化財
彦根城二の丸佐和口多聞櫓
Important Cultural Property
Hikone Castle Ni-no-Maru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret
佐和口に向かって左に伸びる多聞櫓。明和4年（1767）に火災で類焼し、現在の建物は明和6年から8年にかけて再建されたものです。明治になって、櫓門は失われましたが、本来はその右に伸びる多聞櫓（現開国記念館）と一体のものです。
※現在非公開
Tamon Turret faces Sawaguchi Gate and extends out leftward. The current structure was reconstructed between 1769 and 1771, after the original was destroyed in a fire in 1767. The turret gate was lost in the Meiji Era (1868-1912), but it originally extended to the right, where the current Hikone City Museum of History stands, and was part of the Tamon Turret.
*Currently closed to the public
14いろは松
Iroha-matsu Pine Avenue
表門橋に向かう中濠の沿道の松並木で47本あったのでこの名が付けられました。
現在34本（補植12本）残り、当時の面影が偲ばれる通りです。
第3代井伊直孝が、諸国から取り寄せた竹木を城内に移植する際に、通行の妨げにならないように、根が地上に出ない土佐松が植えられています。
"Iroha" represents the order of the 47 hiragana characters. The name was given because 47 pine trees lined the path along the central moat, leading to the front gate bridge.
With 34 of the trees currently remaining (12 are being replanted), the road brings to mind the image of the castle during its heyday.
When the third lord, Ii Naotaka, transported bamboo and trees from other areas of Japan to plant on the castle grounds, the pine trees here were imported from the Tosa region (now Kochi). These trees were chosen because their roots do not grow above ground, preventing any obstruction on the path.
15埋木舎
Umoregi-no-ya
井伊直弼が青春時代を過ごした舎。
「世の中をよそに見つつも埋もれ木の埋もれておらむ心なき身は」と直弼は和歌を詠み、自ら「埋木舎」と名付け、文武両道の修練に励みました。徳川幕府の大老として開国の父となった才能はここで培われたといわれます。
This is the house in which Ii Naosuke lived during his youth. When Naosuke composed the waka poem comparing himself to umoregi (buried wood), he wrote: "Even if I am abandoned and forgotten by society like buried wood, my heart is never buried." He gave this building its name, Umoregi-no-ya, and figuratively buried himself in his literary and martial arts training. Here is where he cultivated the abilities that enabled him to become the father of the reopening of Japan as a chief minister for the Tokugawa Shogunate.
市指定文化財
旧池田屋敷長屋門
City Designated Cultural Property
Old Ikeda Residence Nagayamon Gate
旧彦根藩の中級武家屋敷の典型をなす長屋門として、昭和48年（1973年）に彦根市の指定文化財に指定されました。平成21年度から3年を費やして、全解体修理を実施。中には馬をつないでいた馬屋部分もご覧いただけます。
Designated as a cultural property by the city of Hikone in 1973, this row house gate serves as a model of a mid-level samurai residence from the old Hikone Domain. The whole structure was dismantled and repaired over a three-year period starting in 2009. Visitors can also see the stable inside where horses were tied up.
彦根城いまむかし
Hikone Castle Now and in the Past
400年前に建てられた彦根城。その歴史と現在についてご紹介します。
Hikone Castle was constructed 400 years ago. Here is a little about its history and current state.
彦根城の歴史
The History of Hikone Castle
彦根城築城は、将軍徳川家康公の命により佐和山城を一掃するため、慶長9年（1604）より着工されました。
当初は湖畔の磯山を予定していたといわれていますが、直継の代になって現在の彦根山に決定し、20年の歳月をかけて築城されました。
天守は大津城から、天秤櫓は長浜城から移築。天守は2年足らずで完成しましたが、表御殿の造営、城郭改造など、城郭の完成は1622年とされています。 この間、井伊直孝は大坂冬の陣で兄直継に代わって出陣し、その功績によって家督を継ぎ、夏の陣では豊臣方の木村長門守重成と戦い大功をあげ、井伊直政（常に先鋒を務め、徳川四天王のひとり）に劣らぬ武将と賞賛されました。
直孝は、秀忠、家光、家綱の三代にわたって、将軍の執政となり、幕府政治確立にも貢献。これらの功により3回加増され、譜代大名としては例のない30万石となる。彦根35万石といわれるのは、このほかに幕府領5万石の預かりがあり、合わせて35万石となります。天守は18万石の頃の完成でした。
Construction of Hikone Castle began in 1604 under the command of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in order to eradicate Sawayama Castle.
The original plan was to build the castle on Mt. Iso by the lake, but under Naotsugu, the decision was made to move it to the current location on Mt. Hikone, where it took 20 years to complete.
The main keep was relocated from Otsu Castle, while the Tenbin-yagura Turret was brought from Nagahama Castle. The main keep was completed in less than two years, but the construction of the Omote Goten, as well as the remodeling and expansion of the citadel, continued until 1622. During this time, Ii Naotaka took part in the Winter Siege of Osaka in place of his older brother, Naotsugu. His success in battle led to his succession as head of the family. In the Summer Siege, he distinguished himself in combat against Kimura Nagatonokami Shigenari of the Toyotomi Clan, earning praise as a commander on par with Ii Naomasa—one of Tokugawa Ieyasu's four generals, known for always leading the charge in battle.
Naotaka became a chief administrator to the shogun for three generations—Hidetada, Iemitsu, and Ietsuna—making significant contributions to the politics of the shogunate. These merits led to his assets being increased three times, making him a hereditary feudal lord without compare, worth 300,000 koku of rice. Hikone’s 350,000 koku come from an additional 50,000 koku entrusted by the shogunate, bringing the total to 350,000. The main keep was completed when the domain had 180,000 koku.
解体寸前だった彦根城
Hikone Castle on the Verge of Being Dismantled
彦根城は、明治に解体の危機にみまわれました。しかし、今も往時の面影が今日によく残っているのは、明治天皇が明治11年10月、北陸巡幸を終え、彦根を通られたときに、保存するようにと大命を下されたからでした。
一説には、随行した参議大隈重信がその消失を惜しみ、天皇に奉上したとする説。 また一説には、天皇が近江町長沢の福田寺で小休止されたとき、住持攝専（せっせん）夫人で、天皇の従妹（いとこ）にあたるかね子が奉上したとも言われています。
Hikone Castle was nearly demolished during the Meiji Era (1868-1912). However, it remains remarkably intact today because the Meiji Emperor ordered its preservation when he passed through Hikone on his imperial tour of the Hokuriku region in October 1878. One theory suggests that Okuma Shigenobu, a councilor traveling with the emperor, regretted the castle's possible loss and brought the matter to his attention. Another theory is that Kaneko, the emperor’s cousin and the wife of Chief Priest Sessen, informed him about it during a short break at Fukudenji Temple in Nagasawa, Omi.
彦根城の今
Hikone Castle Today
近世の城で天守が残っているのは、弘前、松本、犬山、丸岡、彦根、姫路、備中松山、松江、丸亀、松山、宇和島、高知の12城。このうち、松本、犬山、彦根、姫路、松江の5城の天守は国宝です。
彦根城は、平成8年には築城以来5回目の大改修が完了。天守の34種類約6万枚にも及ぶ屋根瓦の吹き替えと白壁の塗り替えが中心に行われ、現代に美しく蘇っています。また、彦根城の周囲は特別史跡に指定されています。
There are twelve castles from the early modern period that still have their main keeps: Hirosaki, Matsumoto, Inuyama, Maruoka, Hikone, Himeji, Bitchu Matsuyama, Matsue, Marugame, Matsuyama, Uwajima, and Kochi. Among these, Matsuyama, Inuyama, Hikone, Himeji, and Matsue have main keeps that are national treasures.
In 1996, Hikone Castle completed its fifth large-scale restoration since its construction. The majority of the work involved recasting the main keep’s roughly 60,000 roof tiles in 34 varieties and repainting the white walls, beautifully restoring the castle to its current state. The area surrounding Hikone Castle has also been designated as a Special Historic Site.
彦根城花暦
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