Hikone Castle Cherry Blossoms.

Hikone Castle has a history of over 400 years, having been planned and built by Ii Naomasa, one of the four great retainers of the Tokugawa shogunate during the Warring States period. It was fortunate to be removed from the demolition list by influential figures after the castle abolition edict was issued in 1873 during the Meiji period, preserving it to this day. Its castle tower has been designated as a national treasure. Hikone Castle, along with Aomori Prefecture's Hirosaki Castle, Hyogo Prefecture's Himeji Castle, and Nagano Prefecture's Matsumoto Castle, is listed as one of the four great castles that remain from the Edo period. Located on a small hill, surrounded by a moat that draws water directly from Lake Biwa, the castle is truly beautiful with the cherry blossoms in bloom.