Japanese Castle Trek：日本の城トレッキング

城区分：平山城
国宝：天守
重要文化財：馬屋、天秤櫓、太鼓門櫓、西の丸三重櫓、二の丸佐和口多聞櫓

The kind: Hira-Yama-shiro.
Japanese National treasure: Tensyu
Important cultural property: Uma-Ya, Tenbin-Yagura, Taiko-Mon-Yagura, Nishi-no-Maru Sanju-Yagura, Ni-no-Maru Sawaguchi-Tamon-Yagura

井伊直政は関ヶ原の合戦での功績により、徳川家康より石田三成の旧領地近江の国を与えられ、1601(慶長6)年、佐和山城に入城した。佐和山城は時代遅れの山城であったため、新たに近世城郭の建設を構想していた。合戦時の鉄砲傷が原因で直政は翌年に死去、嫡男の直勝が家督を継いだが、幼少であったため、重臣の合議で計画を進め、家老木俣守勝の進言により、金亀山を最適地として築城を開始した。

幕府はここ彦根を、大坂や以西の大名への防衛ラインと考え、伊賀、伊勢、尾張、美濃、飛騨、若狭、越前の七ヶ国十二大名に協力を命じ、一大名「井伊」の築城ではなく幕府の総力をあげた国家事業となった。そのためか、他城からの移築が多いのが彦根城の特徴である。天守は京極高次の大津城、西の丸三重櫓は浅井長政の小谷城、天秤櫓は豊臣秀吉の長浜城、太鼓門は石田三成の佐和山城。 天守は築城より2年で完成したが、すべてが完成するにはこの後約20年の歳月を要した。

築城から明治の廃藩置県まで、井伊氏十四代が在城し続け、幕末の安政の大獄で有名な大老井伊直弼など、幕府の中核となる人物を輩出してきた。明治政府の廃城令によって、多くの城が失われていったが、1878(明治11)年の廃城撤去の寸前に大隈重信が視察、名城の消失を惜しみ明治天皇にその旨を奏上したことにより、現在もその姿を楽しむことができる。

Ii Naomasa which dedicated distinguished services in war of Sekigahara was able to give the prize from Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was former territory Ohmi-no-Kuni of Ishida Mitsunari there. And Naomasa will be in Sawayama-Jo which was Mitsunari's Castle ON in 1601. However, since it was outdated Yama-Shiro there, it newly conceived of construction of the castle of the modern style. Naomasa dies at the next year owing to the gun crack at the time of war of Sekigahara. Although his legitimate son's Naokatsu inherited the headship of the family, since it was childhood, construction of a castle was started by using golden Kameyama as the optimal ground by advice of Karoh Kimata Morikatsu.

Tokugawa-Bakufu which considered Hikone to be a defensive line to the daimyo of Osaka or west ordered seven-nation 12 daimyos of Iga, Ise, Owari, Mino, Hida, Wakasa, and Echizen to perform cooperation, and became the national enterprise which raised not castle construction of one daimyo "Ii" but the aggregate power of Bakufu. As for the feature of Hikone-Jo, there is much reconstruction from such a thing and other castles. Tensyu is Ohtsu-Jo of Kyogoku Takatsugu. Nishi-no-Maru Sanju-Yagura is Odani-Jo of Asai Nagamasa. Tenbin-Yagura is Nagahama-Jo of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Taiko-Mon-Yagura was brought from Sawayama-Jo of Ishida Mitsunari. Tensyu was completed from construction in two years. However, the time for about 20 years was required after this to complete all.

From construction to the establishment of prefectural system of Meiji, 14 generation of Ii family continued using it, and chief minister Ii Naosuke famous for Ansei-no-Taigoku in the end of a curtain etc. has produced a large number of the persons who become the core of Bakufu. Although many castles were lost by Haijo-Rei of the Meiji government, when Okuma Sigenobu reported that for disappearance of inspection and a noted castle to Emperor Meiji reluctantly just before withdrawal of the castle in 1878, the figure can also be enjoyed now.