Sawayama Castle Ruins

Hikone, Shiga, Japan, Japan

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Sawayama Castle Ruins are the remains of a medieval mountain castle on 232.5-meter Mount Sawayama just north of Hikone Station in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

The castle was originally built in the Kamakura period by the Sasaki clan and later became a major stronghold of the Ōmi region, most famously serving as the residence of Ishida Mitsunari, a close supporter of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in the late 16th century. After Mitsunari was defeated at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the castle was seized by Ii Naomasa, who then abandoned it and moved to the newly built Hikone Castle nearby; much of Sawayama’s stone walls and buildings were literally carried away and reused in Hikone Castle, leaving the site largely empty except for a few low stone walls and a simple sign marking “The Site of Sawayama Castle”.

Today the ruins are an open, free-access historic hill with a 30-minute hiking trail from Hikone Station that passes outer baileys and cut-through roads, leading to a summit viewpoint where hikers can see panoramic views of Hikone Castle, the city, and Lake Biwa, and the site is particularly pleasant in spring with cherry blossoms and in autumn with colorful foliage.