Mt. Hachimanyama
The 272-meter Mt. Hachimanyama, located just north of the town of Omihachiman, was the site of the castle that sparked the town’s development into a flourishing mercantile center. In 1585, the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598) commanded his nephew Hidetsugu (1568–1595) to build a castle on the mountain and develop the town of Hachiman (now Omihachiman) below it. Later Hidetsugu was disgraced, and in 1595 forced to kill himself. While the town continued to prosper, Hachimanyama Castle was abandoned, and today only remnants of its ramparts still stand. The castle site can be reached via the Hachimanyama Ropeway cable car. At the mountain’s summit, a woodland trail leads to Zuiryuji Temple. Zuiryuji was founded by Hidetsugu’s mother in his memory, and it was moved to its present location in 1961. Other trails on the mountain connect to observation points that provide sweeping views over Lake Biwa, the town of Omihachiman, and the surrounding countryside.