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  • Mt. Hachimanyama

Title Mt. Hachimanyama

  • Shiga
Topic(s)：
Historic Sites/Castle Ruins Shrines/Temples/Churches Activities
Medium/Media of Use：
$SETTINGS_DB.mediaClassificationMap.get($item)
Text Length：
251-500
FY Prepared：
2022
Associated Tourism Board：
Omi-Hachiman
Associated Address：
Miyauchicho, Omihachiman-shi , Shiga

八幡山


近江八幡の北側にそびえる標高272mの八幡山は、町の歴史に重要な役割を担ってきた。近江八幡は、1585年、豊臣秀次（1568-1595）が八幡山に八幡山城を築き、城下町として誕生した。秀次は天下統一を目指す戦国武将・豊臣秀吉（1537-1598）の甥で後継者であり、城は近江国（現在の滋賀県）の豊臣家の勢力基盤になることを意図していた。


秀次は叔父の命により、城下の八幡町（現・近江八幡市）を整備し、商人を住まわせ、商人ギルドの影響を排除した「楽市楽座」地帯として商業の中心地とした。また、八幡堀を掘らせ、城の防御と物資輸送のための運河の役割を持たせた。しかしその後、秀吉が甥を怪しみ、秀次は失脚した。2年後には自ら命を絶たれ、八幡山城は廃城となった。しかし、町は繁栄を続け、貿易や商業の重要な中心地となった。


秀次の死後、悲嘆にくれた母トモは尼僧となり、息子を偲んで瑞龍寺を建立した。この寺はもともと京都にあったが、1961年に現在の八幡山山頂に移された。


山頂へは、八幡山ロープウェーを利用して4分ほどで行くことができる。八幡山城の石垣が一部残っており、瑞龍寺はその本丸跡にある。ロープウェイ駅から瑞龍寺までは林道が整備され、展望台も設置されている。西側の展望台からは西の湖や近江八幡の水郷、近江八幡市街が一望でき、北側からは琵琶湖や比良山系が見える。山頂の散策は、景色を眺めながらお寺を参拝して30分程度でできる。

Mt. Hachimanyama


The 272-meter Mt. Hachimanyama is located on the north side of Omihachiman and has played a key role in the town’s history. Omihachiman was founded as a castle town in 1585, when Toyotomi Hidetsugu (1568–1595) built Hachimanyama Castle on the mountain. Hidetsugu was the nephew and heir of the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598), who was aiming to unify Japan, and the fortress was intended to be a base of power for the Toyotomi family in Omi Province (now Shiga Prefecture).


On his uncle’s orders, Hidetsugu also developed the town of Hachiman (now Omihachiman) below the castle and established it as a commercial hub. He invited merchants to live in the town and made it a tax- and toll-free zone free from regulation and the influence of trading guilds. He also ordered the digging of the Hachimanbori Moat, which served not only as protection for the castle but also as a canal for transporting goods. Later, however, Hideyoshi became suspicious of his nephew and Hidetsugu was disgraced. Two years later, he was forced to take his own life, and Hachimanyama Castle was abandoned. The town, however, continued to prosper and became an important center of trade and commerce.


Following Hidetsugu’s death, his grieving mother Tomo became a Buddhist nun and founded Zuiryuji Temple in her son’s memory. This temple was originally located in Kyoto but was moved to its present location on the summit of Mt. Hachimanyama in 1961.


The summit can be reached via a 4-minute cable-car ride on the Hachimanyama Ropeway. Parts of the stone ramparts of Hachimanyama Castle remain on the mountain, and Zuiryuji is located on the site of the castle’s main keep. Woodland trails lead from the cable-car station to the temple and to various observation points. Lookouts on the west side provide sweeping views over Lake Nishinoko, the Omihachiman wetlands, and the city of Omihachiman, while Lake Biwa and the Hira Mountains are visible from the north side. A stroll around the mountaintop, including a visit to the temple, takes around 30 minutes.

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