Yamanakagoe Road

It is the road from Shigasato, passing through Shigatoge Pass and Yamanaka-cho, and reaching Kitashirakawa in Kyoto. It is also called “Shiga no Yamagoe” and was used as the shortest route connecting Otsu and Kyoto from the Heian Period [between the late 8th and 12th centuries]. It appears in many collections of Japanese poetry such as the Kokinwakashu, and is a place with poetical associations with Omi. It is believed to have opened as a pilgrimage route to Sufukuji Temple built in 668 during the Otsukyo Period, and Emperor Saga also passed this road when he visited Karasaki. During the Muromachi Period [between the 14th and 16th centuries], the road flourished as a transportation route. Oda Nobunaga always used this route for the round trip to Kyoto from Azuchi Castle which he built and resided in. During the Edo Period [between the 17th and mid-19th centuries], the Osakagoe Road was developed and became the main road between Kyoto and Otsu. The Yamanakagoe Road was still used as a bypass; however, it ended up losing its role as a bypass when the water transportation on the lake dwindled due to the development of the railway service in the Meiji Era [between mid-19th and early 20th centuries]. There are many famous places such as Hyakketsu Burial Mounds, the Ruins of Sufukuji Temple and the Great Buddha of Shiga along the Yamanakagoe Road.