I went to Hikone 15 years ago (Part 1)
I'm Joker, one of the common folk.
As I mentioned before when talking about Sekigahara, I used to travel around to visit castles during my student days using the Seishun 18 Kippu pass.
The summer of the year I went to Sekigahara, I went to Shiga Prefecture. Summer, 2007. It was a trip where I hoped to visit castles and historical sites around Omi, mainly
Hikone Castle and the Sawayama Castle ruins. Honestly, one of the reasons was that after visiting Sekigahara, I replayed "
Samurai Warriors 2" and got incredibly hyped up. I love the Warriors series, you know.It was just when
Hikone Castle's 400th anniversary was being celebrated, so Hikone was in the middle of Hikonyan fever.
is super cute
I'd like to look back mainly through photos, while digging up memories from my diary at the time.
Travel Itinerary Highlights
I went to Kyoto via the Tokaido Main Line and spent the first day sightseeing in Kyoto.
After that, I visited the Odani Castle ruins, Nagahama Castle, and the birthplace of Ishida Mitsunari, and the next day I went to Azuchi.
Then, after various things, the flow was to head to the main destinations of Hikone and Sawayama.
I'll skip Kyoto this time and present the highlights from Odani to Azuchi.
Odani Castle
Omi-Shiotsu started with me missing a connection, turning a 30-minute wait into an hour-and-a-half wait, and I almost cried.
And then to Kawake.
Statue of Azai Nagamasa and Oichi-no-kata
Odani Castle reminds me of Azai Nagamasa and Oichi-no-kata.
even from a distance
Missing a connection was still cute.
The real sadness starts here.
Felling work for trees damaged by pine weevils—well, I guess it can't be helped.
And so, I couldn't see the Odani Castle ruins.
Nagahama Castle
Pulling myself together, I headed to Nagahama Station.
The statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Ishida Mitsunari in front of Nagahama Station.
It's that famous "Three Cups of Tea" scene.
~The Story of the 'Three Cups of Tea'~
Hideyoshi, who was the lord of Omi Nagahama Castle, visited a temple while out falconry and requested some tea.
The boy at the temple brought him:a large bowl filled with plenty of lukewarm tea.
Hideyoshi, who was parched from falconry, drank it all in one go.
Hideyoshi asked for another cup.
The second cup wasa smaller bowl with about half the amount, and the tea was slightly warmer.
Hideyoshi drank that down and ordered another.
The third cup wasa small, expensive bowl with only a tiny amount of tea, hot enough to burn his tongue.
For the first cup, he served a large amount of tea at an easy-to-drink temperature to quench his thirst.
By making the tea hotter and the amount smaller for the second and third cups, he allowed him to savor the tea more.
Hideyoshi was deeply impressed by the boy's attentiveness and took him back to Nagahama Castle.
This boy was none other than the futureIshida Jibunosho Mitsunari.
Whether this episode of the 'Three Cups of Tea' is a true story or a fabrication, it seems Hideyoshi really liked that quality in Ishida Mitsunari.
The inside is a history museum.
Birthplace of Ishida Mitsunari
Next, I took a bus to thebirthplace of Ishida Mitsunari.
A diary from that time.
・Birthplace of Ishida Mitsunari
A whim. Since I'd come this far, I figured I might as well see where Mitsunari was born.
I knew the museum would be closed by the afternoon, so I just planned to take a bunch of photos and leave.
Then, I happened to start chatting with a local lady, and she said, 'I'll call someone from the museum, so wait here.'
It seems it's run by local people, and she called someone for me... how kind!
I'm so glad I got to see the inside, hear the man's explanation, and have some in-depth conversations. I was truly grateful for the kindness of the locals.
What's more, the man even stayed with me for about an hour while I waited for the bus at the bus stop.
Encounters on a trip are so important.
I realized that once again this time.
After sad things, there are also happy things. That's why traveling is fun.
Memories of talking about various things while waiting for the bus
I believe the person from the museum was a Noh mask maker. I wonder if I can find his business card if I look for it. It's probably still tucked away somewhere.
The inside is the Ishida Mitsunari Museum
I thought it was kind of surreal
When you visit the birthplace of Ishida Mitsunari, please be sure to see not only the Ishida Kaikan but also the memorial tower and Ishida Shrine.
I wonder how everyone who was so kind to me back then is doing.
I am truly grateful for your help at that time.
I remember that on the night of this day, I drank "Shichihonyari" while eating kamameshi. It was delicious.
Azuchi Castle / Kannonji Castle
I stayed in Omihachiman that day, and while I was getting advice from the business hotel front desk clerk about my itinerary for the next day, this happened.
When I asked the guy at the front desk about tomorrow's route, he actually said he would drive me to Azuchi tomorrow.
Moreover, as we talked about various things, he was like, 'Well, I'll do this for you too,' and I just felt so much gratitude for everything.
In the end, he not only drove me to Azuchi Station the next morning but also gave me advice on future routes and transfers. I am grateful for his help at that time. Thank you very much.
(*In this case, it was entirely out of kindness, but please do not get into the car of a stranger you don't know, as it is dangerous. Please be careful, as there are people who do bad things under the guise of kindness.)
My diary from that day. Starting with Azuchi Castle.
I was climbing mountains all day.
No, seriously, I thought I was really going to get stranded on Mt. Kinugasa.
・Azuchi Castle Ruins
Anyway, I climbed the stone steps.
It's tough because each step is huge!
But it's a spectacular sight to see the stone steps stretching all the way up.
The view from the castle tower ruins and the view from the Soken-ji Temple ruins are great.
I was overwhelmed by the size of the three-story pagoda when I saw it up close.
It was a 1-hour course, so I finished it in about an hour to an hour and a half.
It was hard to climb, but thinking about it now, it was just the beginning...
I want to go again.
・Nobunaga's Mansion
There is a huge model that reproduces the main keep of Azuchi Castle.
It's a small museum... or something like that.
sometimes it counts down like this
I'll hang in there
I want you to see the stone steps of Azuchi Castle, as stone Buddhas are used here and there. It feels like Nobunaga's castle. (*This is my personal impression)
Also, I went to a museum and such. It is standard to see the castle and the museum or archive together.
Now, this is the main part of the diary entry mentioned earlier: "I was climbing mountains all day. No, seriously, I thought I was really going to get stranded on Mt. Kinugasa."
It is still a mystery why I walked such a grueling mountain path.
・Sogami-ji Temple
It seems to be a temple associated with Nobunaga.
For now, just climbing up to this point is exhausting.
Furthermore, you can go to the Kannonji Castle ruins by climbing what they call a hiking course from here for about 30 minutes, but frankly, it's not a hiking course at all!!!
I really thought I was going to get stranded.
It was that painful and unsettling...
For those going to the Kannonji Castle ruins, you should avoid this route.
・Kannonji Castle Ruins
I wanted to get to where people were (Kannonsho-ji Temple) as quickly as possible, so I didn't have much time to look around slowly. I did see the main enclosure ruins, though.
・Kannonsho-ji Temple
The view is amazing!!
I'm glad I climbed all the way up even though it was painful.
If you come from the forest road, you can get close to this place by car (although it costs about 500 yen on the way), so I think it's better to go from here if you are going to the Kannonji Castle ruins.
By the way, on the way back, I walked down that forest road in about 50 minutes.
So, I walked and walked on a rough road and climbed all the way to near the summit of Mt. Kinugasa (433m above sea level).
It took about 3 hours from the start of the climb to the end of the descent...
That night, despite being on a budget trip, I splurged a little and ate Omi beef.
It was delicious. I wonder if it was the kind of place a student backpacker should have entered. It was delicious.
I haven't reached Hikone yet, but that's all for now. Sorry for the long introduction... The second part is finally about
Hikone and Sawayama.
Click here for the second part.
いいなと思ったら応援しよう！
よろしければサポートいただけると嬉しいです。作業環境の向上、猫のごはん代などに使わせていただきます。