is a
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
of Japan located in the
Kansai region of
Honshu
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island s ...
. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders
Fukui Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 778,943 (1 June 2017) and has a geographic area of 4,190 km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the north, ...
to the north,
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, ...
to the northeast,
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefectur ...
to the southeast, and
Kyoto Prefecture to the west.
Ōtsu
270px, Ōtsu City Hall
is the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,991 in 153458 households and a population density of 740 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Ōtsu ...
is the capital and largest city of Shiga Prefecture, with other major cities including
Kusatsu,
Nagahama, and
Higashiōmi. Shiga Prefecture encircles
Lake Biwa, the largest
freshwater lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
in Japan, and 37% of the total land area is designated as
Natural Parks, the highest of any prefecture. Shiga Prefecture's southern half is located adjacent to the former capital city of
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...
and forms part of
Greater Kyoto, the fourth-largest
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...
in Japan. Shiga Prefecture is home to
Ōmi beef
is ''wagyū'' (Japanese beef) originating in the Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Ōmi means Ōmi Province, predecessor of Shiga. Ōmi beef is generally considered one of the three top brands, along with Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef.
Ōmi beef is said t ...
, the
Eight Views of Ōmi, and
Hikone Castle, one of four
national treasure castles in Japan.
History
Shiga was known as
Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established. Omi was a neighbor of
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...
and
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...
, at the junction of western and eastern Japan. During the period 667 to 672,
Emperor Tenji founded a palace in Otsu. In 742,
Emperor Shōmu
was the 45th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, during the Nara period.
Traditional narrative ...
founded a palace in
Shigaraki. In the early
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...
,
Saichō
was a Japanese Buddhist monk credited with founding the Tendai school of Buddhism based on the Chinese Tiantai school he was exposed to during his trip to Tang China beginning in 804. He founded the temple and headquarters of Tendai at Enryak ...
was born in the north of Otsu and founded
Enryaku-ji
is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō (767–822), also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayan ...
, the center of
Tendai
, also known as the Tendai Lotus School (天台法華宗 ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just "''hokke shū''") is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition (with significant esoteric elements) officially established in Japan in 806 by the Japanese m ...
and one a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
and monument of Ancient Kyoto now.
During the
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...
, the
Sasaki clan ruled Omi, and afterward the
Rokkaku clan,
Kyōgoku clan
The were a Japanese '' daimyō'' clan which rose to prominence during the Sengoku and Edo periods. The clan descend from the Uda Genji through the Sasaki clan.Papinot, Jacques. (2003)''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 27–28./ref> The name deriv ...
and
Azai clan
The , also rendered as Asai, was a Japanese clan during the Sengoku period.
History
The Azai was a line of '' daimyōs'' (feudal lords) seated at Odani Castle in northeastern Ōmi Province, located within present day Nagahama, Shiga Prefectur ...
s ruled Omi. While during the
Azuchi-Momoyama period,
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.
Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...
subjugated Omi and built
Azuchi Castle on the eastern shores of
Lake Biwa in 1579.
Tōdō Takatora
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of Tōdō clan from the Azuchi–Momoyama to Edo periods. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru (a light foot soldier) to become a ''daimyō''.
Biography
During his lifetime he changed his feudal ...
,
Gamō Ujisato,
Oichi,
Yodo-dono,
Ohatsu and
Oeyo were Omi notables during this period.
In 1600,
Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari (, 1559 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the ...
, born in the east of Nagahama and based in
Sawayama Castle, made war against
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...
in
Sekigahara, Gifu. After the battle, Ieyasu made
Ii Naomasa a new lord of Sawayama. Naomasa established the
Hikone Domain, later famous for
Ii Naosuke. Ii Naosuke became the Tokugawa shogunate's
Tairō and concluded commercial treaties with the Western powers and thus ended Japan's isolation from the world in the 19th century. Besides the Hikone Domain, many domains ruled Omi such as
Zeze. With the
abolition of the han system
The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lord ...
, eight prefectures were formed in Omi. They were unified into Shiga Prefecture in September 1872. "Shiga Prefecture" was named after "
Shiga District" because Otsu belonged to the district until 1898. From August 1876 to February 1881, southern Fukui Prefecture had been incorporated into Shiga Prefecture.
In 2015, Shiga Governor
Taizō Mikazuki
is a Japanese politician and the current governor of Shiga Prefecture, having been elected to the position in July 2014. He previously served in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) as a member of the Democratic Party ...
conducted a survey asking citizens whether they felt it necessary to change the name of the prefecture, partly to raise its profile as a destination for domestic tourism.
Geography
Shiga borders
Fukui Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 778,943 (1 June 2017) and has a geographic area of 4,190 km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the north, ...
in the north,
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, ...
in the east,
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefectur ...
in the southeast, and
Kyoto Prefecture in the west.
Lake Biwa, Japan's largest, is located at the center of this prefecture. It occupies one-sixth of its area. The
Seta River flows from Lake Biwa to
Osaka Bay through
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...
. This is the only natural river that flows out from the lake. Most other natural rivers flow into the lake. There were many lagoons around Lake Biwa, but most of them were reclaimed in 1940s. One of the preserved lagoons is the in Omihachiman, and it was selected as the first
Important Cultural Landscapes in 2006.
The lake divides the prefecture into four different areas: ''Kohoku'' (湖北, north of lake) centered Nagahama, ''Kosei'' (湖西, west of lake) centered
Imazu, ''Kotō'' (湖東, east of lake) centered Hikone and ''Konan'' (湖南, south of lake) centered Otsu.
Plains stretch to the eastern shore of Lake Biwa. The prefecture is enclosed by mountain ranges with the
Hira Mountains and
Mount Hiei
is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan.
The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei b ...
in the west, the
Ibuki Mountains in the northeast, and the
Suzuka Mountains
are a mountain range running through Mie Prefecture and along the borders of Gifu and Shiga prefectures in central Japan. The tallest peak in the range is Mount Oike at . In spite of its height, Mount Oike is not the most visited mountain; tha ...
in the southeast.
Mount Ibuki
is a mountain, on the border of Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, and Ibigawa, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, and is also included on the lists of the 100 Kinki Mountains and the 50 Shiga Mountains. Mount ...
is the highest mountain in Shiga. In
Yogo, a small lake is famous for the legend of , which is similar to a western
Swan maiden
The swan maiden is a mythical creature who shapeshifts from human form to swan form. The key to the transformation is usually a swan skin, or a garment with swan feathers attached. In folktales of this type, the male character spies the maiden, ...
.
Shiga's climate sharply varies between north and south. Southern Shiga is usually warm, but northern Shiga is typically cold with high snowfall and hosts many skiing grounds. In Nakanokawachi, the northernmost village of Shiga, snow reached a depth of in 1936.
As of 1 April 2014, 37% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as
Natural Parks (the highest total of any prefecture), namely the
Biwako and
Suzuka Quasi-National Parks; and
Kotō,
Kutsuki-Katsuragawa, and
Mikami-Tanakami-Shigaraki Prefectural Natural Parks.
Municipalities
Cities
Thirteen cities are located in Shiga Prefecture:
Towns
These are the towns in each
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...
:
Mergers
Politics
The current governor of Shiga is
Taizō Mikazuki
is a Japanese politician and the current governor of Shiga Prefecture, having been elected to the position in July 2014. He previously served in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) as a member of the Democratic Party ...
, a former member of the House of Representatives from Shiga (
DPJ, 3rd district), who was narrowly
elected in July 2014 with center-left support against ex-METI-bureaucrat
Takashi Koyari (supported by the center-right national-level ruling parties) to succeed governor
Yukiko Kada. In June 2018, he was
overwhelmingly reelected to a second term against only one, Communist challenger.
The
prefectural assembly has 44 members from 16 electoral districts, and is still elected in unified local elections (last round:
2019). As of July 2019, the assembly was composed by caucus as follows:
LDP 20 members, Team Shiga (
CDP,
DPP, former Kada supporters etc.) 14,
JCP 4, Sazanami Club (of independents) 3,
Kōmeitō
, formerly New Komeito and abbreviated NKP, is a conservative political party in Japan founded by lay members of the Buddhist Japanese new religious movement Soka Gakkai in 1964. Since 2012, it has served in government as the junior coalitio ...
2, "independent"/non-attached 1.
In the
National Diet
The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paral ...
, Shiga is represented by four directly elected members of the
House of Representatives and two (one per ordinary election) of the
House of Councillors. For the proportional representation segment of the lower house, the prefecture forms part of the
Kinki block. After the national elections of
2016,
2017 and
2019, the directly elected delegation to the Diet from Shiga consists of (as of August 1, 2019):
* in the House of Representatives
** for the
1st district in the west:
Toshitaka Ōoka
Toshitaka is a masculine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Toshitaka can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Examples:
*敏隆, "agile, noble"
*敏孝, "agile, filial piety"
*敏貴, "agile, precious"
*敏高, "agil ...
, LDP, 3rd term,
** for the
2nd district in the northeast:
Ken'ichirō Ueno, LDP, 4th term,
** for the
3rd district on the southern shores of Lake Biwa:
Nobuhide Takemura, LDP, 3rd term,
** for the
4th district
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
in the southeast:
Hiroo Kotera Hiroo may refer to:
* Hiroo (given name), a masculine Japanese given name
* Hiroo, Shibuya, Tokyo, a neighborhood in the Shibuya district of Tokyo
* Hiroo Station, a subway station in Tokyo.
* Hiroo, Hokkaidō
is a town located in Tokachi Su ...
, LDP, 1st term,
* in the House of Councillors (
Shiga At-large district)
** in the class of 2016 (term ends 2022): Takashi Koyari, LDP, 1st term,
** in the class of 2019 (term ends 2025): Yukiko Kada, independent sitting with the
Hekisuikai
The is a parliamentary group in the House of Councillors (Japan), House of Councillors, the upper house of the Japanese National Diet. It was formed in late July 2019 briefly after the 2019 Japanese House of Councillors election, 25th regular el ...
caucus, 1st term.
Economy
Cultivated areas occupy nearly one-sixth of the prefecture. Rice is the principal crop: over 90 percent of the farmlands are rice fields. Most farms are small, producing only a slight income. Most farmers depend on income from other sources. Eastern Shiga is famous for
cattle breeding
Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, startin ...
and southeastern Shiga is famous for
green tea
Green tea is a type of tea that is made from '' Camellia sinensis'' leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China, and since th ...
. On Lake Biwa, some people are engaged in fishery and
freshwater pearl
Cultured freshwater pearls are pearls that are farmed and created using freshwater mussels. These pearls are produced in Japan and the United States on a limited scale, but are now almost exclusively produced in China. The U.S. Federal Trade ...
farming.
Since the Medieval Period, especially in
Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...
, many Shiga people were active in
commerce
Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, natio ...
and were called , sometimes by other envious merchants. For example,
Nippon Life,
Itochu
is a Japanese corporation based in Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka and Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo.
It is one of the largest Japanese '' sogo shosha'' (general trading companies). Among Japanese trading companies, it is distinguished by not being descend ...
,
Marubeni
(, OSE: 8002, NSE: 8002) is a '' sōgō shōsha'' (general trading company) headquartered in Nihonbashi, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest ''sogo shosha'' and has leading market shares in cereal and paper pulp trading as well as a s ...
,
Takashimaya,
Wacoal
is a manufacturer of women's lingerie and underwear, founded in 1949 in Japan by Koichi Tsukamoto. The company has divisions in North America and Europe, and manufactures the brands Wacoal, b.tempt'd, Elomi, Eveden, Fantasie, Freya, Lively, an ...
and
Yanmar were founded by people from Shiga. In their home towns such as Omihachiman, Hino,
Gokashō and Toyosato, their mansions were preserved as tourist attractions.
Beginning in the 1960s, Shiga developed industry, supporting major factories owned by companies such as
IBM Japan
IBM has had business internationally since before the company had a name. Early leaders of the companies that would eventually become IBM (Mr Hollerith, Mr Flint, and Mr Watson) all were involved in doing international business.
In those early day ...
,
Canon,
Yanmar Diesel,
Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...
, and
Toray. According to
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government object ...
's statistics in 2014, the
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...
sector accounted for 35.4% of Gross Shiga Product, the highest proportion in Japan.
Traditional industries include textiles,
Shigaraki ware,
Butsudan in Hikone and Nagahama, medicines in Koka, and fan ribs in
Adogawa.
Demographics
The population is concentrated along the southern shore of Lake Biwa in Otsu city (adjacent to Kyoto) and along the lake's eastern shore in cities such as Kusatsu and Moriyama, which are
within commuting distance to Kyoto. The lake's western and northern shores are more rural and resort-oriented with white sand beaches. In recent years, many Brazilians settled in Shiga to work in nearby factories. 25,040 foreigners live in Shiga and 30% of foreigners were Brazilians as of December 2016.
Culture
Biwa Town (now a part of Nagahama) is a home of The
Tonda Traditional Bunraku Puppet Troupe. Founded in the 1830s, the group is one of the most active traditional ''
Bunraku''
puppet theaters in Japan outside the National Theater in Osaka. Toyosato and Higashiomi are known to a mecca of
Goshu ondo.
Museums include the
Sagawa Art Museum in Moriyama, the
Lake Biwa Museum in Kusatsu and the
Miho Museum in Kōka. In Kōka, a ninja house is preserved as a visitor center.
Cuisine
Since ancient times, Shigans have eaten fish from Lake Biwa. The most famous lake-food is . It retains the ancient style of sushi and has a pungent odor. Shiga is also famous for high quality
wagyū,
Ōmi beef
is ''wagyū'' (Japanese beef) originating in the Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Ōmi means Ōmi Province, predecessor of Shiga. Ōmi beef is generally considered one of the three top brands, along with Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef.
Ōmi beef is said t ...
. The Hikone Domain presented beef as medicinal food to shōguns. In addition, ''
tsukemono'' of root crops, in northern Shiga, in Omihachiman, in Nagahama, and lightly seasoned
champon in Hikone are examples of specific cuisine in Shiga.
Fish from Lake Biwa for sale at a fish store in Otsu, Shiga, Japan.jpg, A fish store in Ōtsu
Funazushi 鮒寿司 Maibara City Shiga Japan 2022-10-06.jpg, ''Funa-zushi'' – fermented crucian carp
The crucian carp (''Carassius carassius'') is a medium-sized member of the common carp family Cyprinidae. It occurs widely in northern European regions. Its name derives from the Low German ''karusse'' or ''karutze'', possibly from Medieval La ...
Sabasomen1.jpg, Nagahama yaki-saba sōmen
Hikone okabe champon.jpg, Hikone champon
Mass media
Biwako Broadcasting broadcasts local TV programs.
NHK has a broadcasting station in Otsu. Shiga is the only prefecture which has no regional newspapers.
Kyoto Shimbun is a de facto regional newspaper of Shiga.
Education
Ten universities, two junior colleges, and a learning center of
The Open University of Japan
is a distance learning university which has students from all over Japan; it accepted its first students in 1985.
History
Although founded by the national government initiative with a single-issue law and heavily subsidized by the government ...
operate in Shiga.
*
Shiga University (Hikone and
Ōtsu
270px, Ōtsu City Hall
is the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,991 in 153458 households and a population density of 740 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Ōtsu ...
)
*
Shiga University of Medical Science (Otsu)
*
University of Shiga Prefecture
is a public university in Hikone, Shiga, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1950, and it was chartered as a university in 1995.
The nickname of the university is "Kendai". The first university president was Hidaka Toshitaka (J ...
(Hikone)
*
Seian University of Art and Design
is a private university in Otsu, Shiga, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, whil ...
(Otsu)
*
Seisen University (Hikone)
*
Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology (Nagahama)
*
Biwako-Gakuin University (Higashiomi)
*
Biwako Seikei Sport College (Otsu)
*
Ritsumeikan University
is a private university in Kyoto, Japan, that traces its origin to 1869. With the Kinugasa Campus (KIC) in Kyoto, and Kyoto Prefecture, the university also has a satellite called Biwako-Kusatsu Campus (BKC) and Osaka-Ibaraki Campus (OIC).
Tod ...
(Kyoto and Kusatsu)
*
Ryukoku University
is a private university in Kyoto, Japan.
It was founded as a school for Buddhist priests of the Nishi Hongan-ji denomination in 1639, and became a secularized university in 1876. The university's professors and students founded the literar ...
(Kyoto and Otsu)
*
Shiga Junior College (Otsu)
*
Shiga Bunkyo Junior College is a private junior college in Nagahama, Shiga, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan ...
(Nagahama)
Sports
The following sports teams are based in Shiga.
*Basketball: Shiga LakeStars
*Volleyball:
Toray Arrows (women's volleyball team)
is a women's volleyball team based in Ōtsu, Shiga, Japan. It plays in V.League Division 1. The club was founded in 2000. The owner of the team is Toray Industries.
The jersey number of the team is the order of the age (excluding foreigners). ...
(Otsu)
*Football (soccer):
MIO Biwako Kusatsu (Kusatsu),
Sagawa Shiga F.C.
, formerly , was an amateur Japanese football club based in Moriyama, Shiga. They were members of the Japan Football League
The also known as simply the JFL is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneat ...
(Moriyama).
*Tennis: SHRIGGA AKA UVEAL
Tourism
Shiga has many
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
resources, but Shiga is overshadowed by its much more famous neighbor Kyoto. Over four million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2000, but only sixty-five thousand visited Shiga.
The main gateways to Shiga are the
Maibara Station in northern Shiga and the city of
Ōtsu
270px, Ōtsu City Hall
is the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,991 in 153458 households and a population density of 740 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Ōtsu ...
in the south. The Maibara Station is about 2 hours and 20 minutes away from the
Tokyo Station
Tokyo Station ( ja, 東京駅, ) is a railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far from the Ginza ...
by the Tokaido Shinkansen. It is easy to go to Ōtsu from Kyoto and Osaka by high-speed trains.
Shiga's most prominent feature is Lake Biwa. The northern shore is especially scenic, such as the cherry blossoms of Kaizu Osaki in spring and the sacred island
Chikubu-shima. The western shore has white sand beaches, popular among Kyotoites during the summer. The scenery of the southern shore, particularly around Otsu, was selected as ''Ōmi Hakkei'' or
Eight Views of Ōmi, popularized by
Hiroshige's
ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk ta ...
. Most of the original eight views are now almost gone or changed from centuries ago. One remaining view is the Ukimidō "floating temple" building at
Mangetsu-ji temple in Katata, northern Ōtsu. It was reconstructed with concrete in 1937, but a small temple still stands on the lake near the shore, accessible by a short bridge. Another scene features
Ishiyama-dera temple in southern Otsu, which is also renowned for having a room where
Murasaki Shikibu
was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court in the Heian period. She is best known as the author of '' The Tale of Genji,'' widely considered to be one of the world's first novels, written in Japanese between abo ...
thought up the plan for some chapters of ''
Tale of Genji
Tale may refer to:
* Narrative, or story, a report of real or imaginary connected events
* TAL effector (TALE), a type of DNA binding protein
* Tale, Albania, a resort town
* Tale, Iran, a village
* Tale, Maharashtra, a village in Ratnagiri distri ...
''.
The mountains around the lake offer extensive views. Mount Hira is a picnic spot. Mountain roads like the Oku-Biwako Parkway road up north and the Hiei-zan Driveway and Oku-Hiei Driveway overlooking the southwestern shore. In Ōtsu, the Ōtsu Prince Hotel's Top of Otsu restaurant provides views of the lake and city. The ''Michigan'' paddlewheel boat offers lake cruises.
Besides the natural environment, historical buildings and festivals persons rank among those of national importance. Shiga has 807
National Treasures and
Important Cultural Properties, that ranks the fourth large number in Japan.
Shiga's most famous historical building is
Hikone Castle, one of four
national treasure castles in the country. The castle tower is well preserved and has many cherry trees. The neighboring city of
Nagahama has
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
in addition to its hikiyama festival. Nearby shrines include
Hiyoshi Taisha
is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture Japan. This shrine is one of the Twenty-Two Shrines. Known before World War II as or Hie jinja, "Hiyoshi" is now the preferred spelling. It was also known as the . The head ...
in Otsu and
Taga-taisha in Taga, which respectively head the seventh and twentieth largest
shrine networks in Japan, at about 4,000 shrines and 260 shrines, respectively.
Festivals include the hikiyama festival (floats parade festival), held in ten areas such as
Nagahama, Otsu, Maibara, Hino and Minakuchi. The Nagahama hikiyama festival held each April is one of the three major hikiyama festivals in Japan and was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1979. During this festival ornate floats are mounted with miniature stages on which boys (playing both male and female roles) act in
kabuki
is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
Kabuki is thought ...
plays. Higashiomi (formerly
Yōkaichi) city holds a Giant Kite Festival every May along the riverbank. Ordinary people are invited to pull the rope that sends the kites aloft.
Transportation
Railways
*
West Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...
**
Tōkaidō Main Line
The is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) network, connecting and stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parallel ...
(
Biwako Line),
Hokuriku Main Line,
Kusatsu Line
The is a railway line in western Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It connects Tsuge on the Kansai Main Line with Kusatsu on the Biwako Line (Tōkaidō Main Line).
History
The Kansai Railway Co. opened the entire line ...
and
Kosei Line
*
Central Japan Railway Company
is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as JR Tōkai ( ja, JR東海, links=no). ''Tōkai'' is a reference to the geographical ...
**
Tōkaidō Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the Sanyo Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opened in 19 ...
(
Maibara Station) and Tōkaidō Main Line
*
Keihan Electric Railway
**
Keishin Line
The is an interurban railway line in Japan operated by the private railway operator Keihan Electric Railway. The 7.5 km line connects Misasagi Station in Kyoto and Biwako-Hamaōtsu Station in the neighbouring city of Ōtsu.
Train servic ...
and
Ishiyama Sakamoto Line
*
Ohmi Railway
**
Main Line,
Yōkaichi Line and
Taga Line
*
Shigaraki Kōgen Railway
is a Japanese third-sector railway company funded by Shiga Prefecture and the city of Koka.
The railway operates the Shigaraki Line, a former JR West line that was transferred to the third sector in 1987. The Shigaraki Line connects Kibukawa ...
*
Sakamoto Cable The , officially the , is a Japanese funicular line in Ōtsu, Shiga. It is the only line operates. The line opened in 1927, as an eastern route to Enryaku-ji, a famous temple on Mount Hiei. This is the longest funicular line in Japan.
Basic data
...
Roads
Meishin Expressway
The , or Nagoya-Kōbe Expressway is a toll expressway in Japan. It runs from a junction with the Tōmei Expressway in Komaki, Aichi (outside Nagoya) west to Nishinomiya, Hyōgo (between Osaka and Kobe). It is the main road link between Osaka an ...
,
Shin-Meishin Expressway and
Hokuriku Expressway pass through Shiga. National highway Route
1,
8,
21,
8,
161,
303
__NOTOC__
Year 303 ( CCCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. It was known in the Roman Empire as the Year of the Consulship of Diocletian and Maximian (or, less frequently, ye ...
,
306,
307
__NOTOC__
Year 307 ( CCCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Maximinus (or, less frequently, year 1060 ...
,
365,
367
__NOTOC__
Year 367 (Roman numerals, CCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lupicinus and Iovanus (or, less frequently, year 1120 ''Ab urbe condita''). T ...
,
421,
422 and
477
__NOTOC__
Year 477 ( CDLXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year after the Consulship of Basiliscus and Armatus (or, less frequently, yea ...
connect with neighboring prefectures. Two bridges span southern part of Lake Biwa.
Boats
With development of land transportation in the 20th century, waterborne transportation in Lake Biwa was disused except for steamer services to islands on the lake and pleasure boats.
Notable people from Shiga Prefecture
*
Kakuzo Kawamoto, business executive and politician from
Takashima District.
*
Gentaro Kawase, president of
Nippon Life Insurance from
Ōmihachiman
*
Takanori Nishikawa, a singer and actor from Hikone and Yasu. He is also active as the first Cultural Ambassador for Shiga.
*
Hizaki, a musician and songwriter, known for work as guitarist of
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
.
*
Sōsuke Uno
was a Japanese politician who was briefly Prime Minister of Japan in 1989, the first Prime Minister who came from Shiga Prefecture. A scandal exposed by the geisha Mitsuko Nakanishi contributed to his premature resignation from office after jus ...
, the 75th
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
from Moriyama. He was one of the shortest-serving prime ministers in Japan, holding office for only three months (June–August 1989).
*
Kizo Yasui, business executive from
Hikone, Shiga. Vice-president of
Mitsui Bank, president of Mitsui Petroleum and Chemical Industries (now
Mitsui Chemicals), chairman of
Toray Industries
is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan that specializes in industrial products centered on technologies in organic synthetic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and biochemistry.
Its founding business areas were fibers and textiles, ...
, vice-chairman of
Nihon Keidanren
The is an economic organization founded in May 2002 by amalgamation of Keidanren (, Japan Federation of Economic Organizations, established 1946; name sometimes used alone as abbreviation for whole organization) and Nikkeiren (, Japan Federatio ...
(
Japan Business Federation
The is an economic organization founded in May 2002 by amalgamation of Keidanren (, Japan Federation of Economic Organizations, established 1946; name sometimes used alone as abbreviation for whole organization) and Nikkeiren (, Japan Federatio ...
), general manager of
Tokyo Metropolis of
Ise Shrine Revered Board.
Sister states
Shiga has cooperative agreements with three states.
*
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a state in the southern region of Brazil. It is the fifth-most-populous state and the ninth largest by area. Located in the southernmost part of the country, Rio Grande do Sul is border ...
, Brazil
*
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
, USA (1968)
*
Hunan
Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangx ...
, China
Notes
References
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''Cambridge:
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...
.
OCLC 58053128* ''Shiga-ken hyakka jiten''
ncyclopedia Shiga(滋賀県百科事典, 1984). Tokyo: Yamato Shobo.
External links
*
Shiga Prefecture official pagego.biwako - Travel Guide of Shiga Prefecture, Japan (Biwako Visitors Bureau)Guide - GoJapanGo
Shiga-ken.com
{{Authority control
Kansai region
Prefectures of Japan