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Matthew Haswell | profile | all galleries >> Japan 日本 >> Kansai 関西 >> Ōmi Hachiman and Azuchi 近江八幡と安土 tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Kyōto 京都 | Uji 宇治 | Nara 奈良 | Ōsaka 大阪 | Wakayama 和歌山 | Kōbe 神戸 | Himeji and Akashi 姫路と明石 | Kinosaki and Fukuchiyama 城崎と福知山 | Amanohashidate 天橋立 | Ōtsu 大津 | Ōmi Hachiman and Azuchi 近江八幡と安土 | Hikone 彦根 | Nagahama 長浜 | Ise 伊勢 | Iga, Seki-juku & Kameyama 伊賀、関宿、亀山

Ōmi Hachiman and Azuchi 近江八幡と安土

Established as a castle town in 1585 by Toyotomi Hidetsugu, Ōmi Hachiman was meant to guard the south shore of Lake Biwa and the central plains of what was then Ōmi Province (modern-day Shiga Prefecture). After the castle was abandoned only a few years following its completion, the town went on to be an important merchant center, prospering along one of the main roads through the heart of Edo-period Japan.

Azuchi today is a small, neighboring town dominated by agriculture, but once home to what was arguably the country's greatest historical castle: the magnificent Azuchi-jō.
Above the tracks at Ōmi Hachiman station
Above the tracks at Ōmi Hachiman station		 Ōmi Hachiman's cherry blossom-lined main street
Ōmi Hachiman's cherry blossom-lined main street		 Hachiman Elementary School
Hachiman Elementary School		 Ikeda-chō Western-style residential quarter
Ikeda-chō Western-style residential quarter
Hachiman Hongan-ji
Hachiman Hongan-ji		 Main hall at Hachiman Hongan-ji
Main hall at Hachiman Hongan-ji		 Ganjōju-ji
Ganjōju-ji		 Small altar on the Ganjōju-ji grounds
Small altar on the Ganjōju-ji grounds
View down the old street from the temple hill
View down the old street from the temple hill		 Neatly arranged ivy at a machiya entrance
Neatly arranged ivy at a machiya entrance		 Shinmachi-dōri
Shinmachi-dōri		 Park beside the Ban Family House
Park beside the Ban Family House
Hachiman City Museum
Hachiman City Museum		 Old streetscape of Shinmachi-dōri
Old streetscape of Shinmachi-dōri		 Cycling along Shinmachi-dōri
Cycling along Shinmachi-dōri		 Statue of architect William Vories and local girl
Statue of architect William Vories and local girl
Have a bouquet!
Have a bouquet!		 Statue of William Merrell Vories
Statue of William Merrell Vories		 House of Nishikawa Jingoro
House of Nishikawa Jingoro		 Outer gate of Himure Hachiman-gū
Outer gate of Himure Hachiman-gū
Behind the Hakuun-kan
Behind the Hakuun-kan		 Stopping beside Kōfuku Inari-jinja
Stopping beside Kōfuku Inari-jinja		 Entrance to Kōfuku Inari-jinja
Entrance to Kōfuku Inari-jinja		 Kawara Museum
Kawara Museum
Houses along the moat
Houses along the moat		 Footbridge supported by old boats
Footbridge supported by old boats		 Moat scene outside the Kawara Museum
Moat scene outside the Kawara Museum		 Docked tourist boat on the moat
Docked tourist boat on the moat
Hachiman moat scene with visiting artists
Hachiman moat scene with visiting artists		 Woman painting a scene of the Hachiman moat
Woman painting a scene of the Hachiman moat		 Eastward view down the moat
Eastward view down the moat		 Passing tourist boat
Passing tourist boat
Along the moat's curve with Hachiman-yama
Along the moat's curve with Hachiman-yama		 View over the moat from Hakuun-bashi
View over the moat from Hakuun-bashi		 Smoke-tinged Himure Hachiman-gū
Smoke-tinged Himure Hachiman-gū		 Sake barrels at Himure Hachiman-gū
Sake barrels at Himure Hachiman-gū
Eastward view from Hachiman-yama
Eastward view from Hachiman-yama		 Rural plains and distant Biwa-ko
Rural plains and distant Biwa-ko		 Rooftops of central Ōmi Hachiman
Rooftops of central Ōmi Hachiman		 Remnant foundations of Ōmi Hachiman-jō
Remnant foundations of Ōmi Hachiman-jō
Gate leading to Zuiryū-ji atop the mountain
Gate leading to Zuiryū-ji atop the mountain		 Ablution font at Zuiryū-ji
Ablution font at Zuiryū-ji		 Rice paddies with distant Kusatsu and Ōtsu skylines
Rice paddies with distant Kusatsu and Ōtsu skylines		 Biwa-ko and mountains of Hira-san in the distance
Biwa-ko and mountains of Hira-san in the distance
Descending the ropeway once again
Descending the ropeway once again		 Japanese flag over Himure Hachiman-gū
Japanese flag over Himure Hachiman-gū		 Main gate at Himure Hachiman-gū
Main gate at Himure Hachiman-gū		 Hakuun-kan
Hakuun-kan
Vories Memorial House
Vories Memorial House		 Old Hachiman Post Office
Old Hachiman Post Office		 Overlapping rooftops in Ishin-chō
Overlapping rooftops in Ishin-chō		 Old YMCA Hall
Old YMCA Hall
Lantern-lined Suwai-chō
Lantern-lined Suwai-chō		 Wires above the tracks at Ōmi Hachiman Station
Wires above the tracks at Ōmi Hachiman Station		 Rural outskirts of Azuchi-chō
Rural outskirts of Azuchi-chō		 Steps leading to the former Ōte-mon, Azuchi-jō
Steps leading to the former Ōte-mon, Azuchi-jō
Foundations of Hideyoshi's former palace
Foundations of Hideyoshi's former palace		 Old walls along the Ōte-michi
Old walls along the Ōte-michi		 Farmland beyond the castle site
Farmland beyond the castle site		 Steps leading to the Kurogane-mon
Steps leading to the Kurogane-mon
Path past the former Kurogane-mon
Path past the former Kurogane-mon		 Steps up to the old Hon-maru
Steps up to the old Hon-maru		 Footprints of the Buddha
Footprints of the Buddha		 Entrance to Nobunaga's mausoleum
Entrance to Nobunaga's mausoleum
Lanterns leading to the mausoleum
Lanterns leading to the mausoleum		 Steps to the former donjon site
Steps to the former donjon site		 View out over rural Shiga from the tenshu-dai
View out over rural Shiga from the tenshu-dai		 Farmland stretching to the lake and mountains beyond
Farmland stretching to the lake and mountains beyond
Pillarstones on the site of the former donjon
Pillarstones on the site of the former donjon		 Late afternoon view over Biwa-ko
Late afternoon view over Biwa-ko		 Three-tiered pagoda of Sōken-ji
Three-tiered pagoda of Sōken-ji		 Niō-mon
Niō-mon
Fields stretching towards the Azuchi museum area
Fields stretching towards the Azuchi museum area		 Poster portraying Azuchi-jō's lost donjon
Poster portraying Azuchi-jō's lost donjon		 Model of the former donjon's top-floor interior
Model of the former donjon's top-floor interior		 Replica of the donjon in the Azuchi Castle Museum
Replica of the donjon in the Azuchi Castle Museum
Bungei Seminariyo concert hall
Bungei Seminariyo concert hall		 Prefectural Azuchi Castle Archaeological Museum
Prefectural Azuchi Castle Archaeological Museum		 Azuchi station area in early evening
Azuchi station area in early evening		 Statue of Ōda Nobunaga outside the station
Statue of Ōda Nobunaga outside the station

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