Hikone Castle — Reading the Spirit and Historical Mindset of Japan

3 Hours | Meeting Point: Hikone Castle

Step away from the bustle of Kyoto and Osaka and head to the shores of Lake Biwa.
Here stands a castle that has not been overly commercialized—a rare, authentic survivor of Japan’s past.

Hikone Castle is one of the few remaining original castles in Japan and a designated National Treasure. It preserves the atmosphere of the early Edo period almost exactly as it was.

But this tour is not simply about viewing a historic structure.
It asks deeper questions:

Why was this castle built here?
Who defended it—and with what resolve?

Together, we explore the mindset embedded in its stones.

What You Will Experience

■ Why were so many castles built around Lake Biwa?
Discover how geography shaped political power, and how the lake functioned as a strategic artery in the Tokugawa era.

■ A Castle Built to Survive
Walk through labyrinth-like pathways, steep stone walls, and carefully calculated blind spots.
Hikone Castle was not designed for display—it was engineered for survival.

■ The Ii Clan and the Weight of Decision
Through figures such as Ii Naomasa and Ii Naosuke, trusted retainers of the Tokugawa shogunate, we examine loyalty, decisive action, and the burden of maintaining national stability.

How much of oneself can be devoted to the organization one serves?
This question resonates far beyond the samurai age.

This is not a conventional history tour.

By comparing Western concepts of honor and individualism with Japanese ideas of duty and collective responsibility, we explore the deeper cultural foundations of Japanese society.

Using Hikone Castle as a lens, we reflect on the qualities often associated with Japan today—civility, public-mindedness, discipline, and social harmony.

Through understanding this historical mindset, you may leave not only with knowledge, but with a new perspective—one that lingers long after the tour ends.