Hikone Castle and the adjacent Genkyu-en Garden comprise the centerpiece of Hikone city. The city's rise in prominence during the Tokugawa shogunate began with the construction of the castle in the early 1600's. Most of the structures on the site were declared Important Cultural Assets in 1951 with the main tower being designated a National Treasure in 1952. It is one of only 4 original castles so designated, along with Himeji in Hyogo, Inuyama in Aichi and Matsumoto in Nagano, as well as the Shogun's Ninomaru Palace inside Nijo Castle in Kyoto.

Reposted from yamasa.org.