Shiga Prefecture
A prefecture in central Japan that surrounds Lake Biwa and borders Kyoto, Fukui, Gifu, and Mie prefectures.
Lake Biwa: Japan’s largest freshwater lake, located in Shiga Prefecture. The lake occupies much of Shiga and shapes its landscapes, water supply, and settlement.
Hikone Castle: A Japanese castle in Hikone, Shiga, completed in the early seventeenth century. Its preserved keep and domain history make it a landmark of Shiga’s feudal past.
Lake Biwa Canal: A canal system built to carry water from Lake Biwa to Kyoto. It links Shiga’s lake resources with Kyoto’s water supply and industrial history.
Lake Biwa Comprehensive Development Project: A postwar program coordinating water use, flood control, and development around Lake Biwa. It shows how competing needs for the lake prompted large-scale planning in Shiga.
Ōmi Province: A former Japanese province corresponding largely to present-day Shiga Prefecture. Its name and historical territory underlie Shiga’s older regional identity.
Enryaku-ji: A Tendai Buddhist monastery founded on Mount Hiei near Kyoto. The monastery’s extensive grounds extend into Shiga and shaped religious life across the region.
Lake Biwa–Yodo River water system: The connected waterways carrying Lake Biwa’s outflow through the Yodo River basin. Shiga’s water supports communities and industries downstream as well as within the prefecture.
Lake Biwa Museum: A museum in Kusatsu, Shiga, focused on Lake Biwa’s nature and human history. Its exhibits document the ecological and cultural changes tied to the prefecture’s defining lake.
Kansai region: A major region of western Japan centered on Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. Shiga lies on Kansai’s northeastern edge, between its urban core and central Japan.
Omi Hachiman: A city in Shiga known for its historic merchant district and canals. Its merchant heritage recalls the commercial networks that flourished around Lake Biwa.