What the Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret Is
The Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret is a late Edo-period Tamon-yagura standing at the Sawaguchi entrance to the second bailey of Hikone Castle in Konkicho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, designated an Important Cultural Property in 1951 (Showa 26). Written 彦根城二の丸佐和口多聞櫓, it is the first castle building most visitors meet on the walk from JR Hikone Station.
The turret is a single-tiered range that turns a right angle, rising to two storeys only at its south-eastern end, all under Hongawarabuki tile. The second bailey once had four gates, at Kyobashiguchi, Sawaguchi, Funamachiguchi and Nagahashiguchi; Sawaguchi was one of the principal ones because it led to the main entrance of the castle. The Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret runs to the left as you face that gate from the pine avenue.
Its date is 1771 (Meiwa 8), which makes it young by the standards of this castle. A fire in 1767 spread to the buildings here, and the present structure was put up between 1769 and 1771 to replace what burned.
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The listing recognises a surviving element of a gate complex, preserved in the form it took when rebuilt in the late Edo period.
A castle gate was never just a pair of doors. A square enclosure was laid out in front of it and walled on three sides by turrets, so that anyone who broke through the outer opening found themselves boxed in and exposed from above. The Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret formed the left-hand arm of that enclosure.
The 1767 fire burned through this corner of the castle and damaged the nearby stables as well. Rebuilding is recorded as running from 1769 to 1771, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives 1771 as the date of the Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret. It is not an original Keicho-era structure, and its value lies partly in that fact: it shows how a working castle was repaired and kept standing through two and a half centuries of peace.
What to Look For
Look up at the northern end first. The roof finishes in a blunt Kirizuma-zukuri gable, as though the building had been sliced through. A two-storey gatehouse once stood at that point and was pulled down in the early years of the Meiji period. What you are looking at is the cut face left behind.
The Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret was originally continuous with a matching range on the north-eastern side of the enclosure. The building occupying that position now is the Kaikoku Kinenkan, put up in 1960 with donations from the citizens of Hikone to mark the centenary of the death of Ii Naosuke, and deliberately built as a reproduction of the turret opposite. Left is the original, right is the copy. That is why two buildings of the same shape face each other across the moat bank.
At the south-eastern end the single-tiered range suddenly stands up into two storeys. The long low roofline lifts at exactly one point, and from across the moat the silhouette makes the change obvious.
For a reflection in the water, come in the morning. The west-facing wall above the middle moat holds the light longest then.
Visiting the Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret
The Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret is in the free zone, so the exterior can be seen without a ticket. The interior, however, is not normally open.
The nearest substitute is the Kaikoku Kinenkan next door, which is free to enter, open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last admission at 4:45 p.m., and closed from 25 to 31 December. It has a lift and can be entered in a wheelchair.
For the full length of the building, stand on the far bank of the middle moat beside the pine avenue. The wall faces west, so it holds the morning light. Nothing restricts photography.
Opening hours for the castle, admission and directions are on the Hikone Castle page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Shiga
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret
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Q&A
- Can I go inside the Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret?
- The interior is not normally open. The exterior can be seen free of charge from the free zone. The Kaikoku Kinenkan next door is free to enter and opens 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Why does the Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret stop abruptly at its northern end?
- A two-storey gatehouse stood there until it was removed in the early Meiji period. The gabled end you see today is the surviving cut face.
- What is the difference between the Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret and the Kaikoku Kinenkan?
- The Kaikoku Kinenkan was built in 1960 as a reproduction of the turret, marking the centenary of the death of Ii Naosuke. They face each other across the gate enclosure: the original on the left, the reproduction on the right.
- When was the Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret built?
- In 1771. A fire in 1767 destroyed the earlier building on the site, and reconstruction ran from 1769 to 1771.
- Is the Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret accessible by wheelchair?
- The surrounding ground is level and the exterior can be viewed from the moat bank. The Kaikoku Kinenkan beside it has a lift and can be entered in a wheelchair.
Basic Information
| Name | Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret |
|---|---|
| Location | Konkicho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 1951 (Showa 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Owner | Hikone City |
| Public Access | Free zone, exterior only. The interior is not normally open |
References
- National Designated Cultural Property Database, Hikone Castle Ninomaru Sawaguchi Tamon Turret (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/1398
- Cultural Properties within Hikone Castle (Hikone City)
- https://www.city.hikone.lg.jp/kakuka/kanko_bunka/8/2_1/3/4581.html
- Visitor Information for Hikone Castle (Hikone City)
- https://www.city.hikone.lg.jp/kakuka/kanko_bunka/8/2_1/3/4586.html
- Kaikoku Kinenkan (Hikone City)
- https://www.city.hikone.lg.jp/kakuka/kanko_bunka/8/2_1/3/4584.html
- List of Designated Cultural Properties in Hikone (Hikone City)
- https://www.city.hikone.lg.jp/kakuka/kanko_bunka/8/2_2/4655.html
Last verified: 2026.09.15
