Kohoku – North side of Lake Biwa With grand dreams the warring state military commanders faced off on this land. Reminders of this are all over the place as in scarred battlefields where the fate of the whole land was influenced or in the various temples remembered in connection with the warring daimyo feudal lords. However, around the skirt of the mountain the peaceful country expands out and is dotted with villages that lie unaffected by the strife. The first territory Hashiba Hideyoshi (later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi) received from Lord Nobunaga was Nagahama. With the construction of Nagahama Castle and the policy of free markets and open guilds, commerce started to develop. At one time the castle was abandoned in the Edo Period but the influence of Nagahama continued as a post station and as
a hub for trade and commerce. The old blackwalled houses remaining along the Hokkoku Kaido are currently getting a second life as a shopping district called Kurokabe Square, which means “black wall” square in Japanese. One such shop makes use of a former bank building constructed in 1900, the Kurokabe Glass Museum, where glass products are on display and for sale. There are various other shops as well, such as the Hikiyama Museum (floats used in festivals) and the Kaiyodo Figure Museum (toy figures).
Mt. Ibuki
Joshin-ji Temple
Lake Biwa from Mt. Shizugatake
Zenko-ji Temple Eleven-faced Kannon image at Kokokaku
各樣的商店林立。 琵琶湖最裡面是浮在湖面、圓周長為2公里的竹生島。 登上多達165階的石階，斜坡是都久夫須麻神社和寶嚴 寺。自古信奉為西國33所名剎，現為琵琶湖八景之一。 湖北曾以海拔923公尺的己高山為中心，發揚獨特 的佛教文化。歷經多次戰亂及政局變化，留下許多佛 像，其中大部分是當地人不管宗教派別，努力保存下來 的。木之本町的己高閣與世代閣裡，安置許多和己高山 有淵源的佛像。 井上靖（1907-1991）和水上勉（1919～2004）的 小說裡也有描寫到湖北的十一面觀音。廣為人知的是 位於高月町的向源寺（渡岸寺）。祂是於西元736年製 作，身體稍為扭腰並佩戴耳飾，呈現出印度及西域的 風格。據說，在全國7尊國寶級的十一面觀音像之中， 最為美麗。相傳在戰國時代，寺院倒閉荒廢之際，村人 還將其埋入土中加以保護呢！ 西野藥師觀音堂的十一面觀音像設於平安時代 （8-12世紀）初期，胸部及大腿結實有力，看起來相當 穩重安定。石道寺的十一面觀音，至今嘴唇上還留有口 紅，容貌秀麗，是國家重要文化遺產之一。 木之本曾為北國街道的驛站而繁榮，現在還有舊式 宅院林立的街道。據說，淨信寺（木之本地藏院）對 於祈求眼疾康復特別靈驗。 如果想參拜各處的佛像，可租借腳踏車前往。只要 在北琵琶湖圈內的最近車站歸還。登山健行也是一大 樂趣，秋天的紅葉相當漂亮。織田信長死後，想要爭奪 霸權的豐臣秀吉與柴田勝家（1522?-1583），於西元 1583年曾在賤岳開戰，現在此地可搭纜車前往山頂附 近，再從山頂一覽琵琶湖的風光。 關原以前是中山道的交通樞紐，現今為新幹線經過 的要道。西元1600年重要的關原合戰也是在此地發 生，德川家康（江戶幕府首任將軍）因此掌握天下大權。 當地清澈的泉水及自然豐富，孕育出滋賀第一高峰－
Floating on the water in Lake Biwa is an island with a circumference of 2 km (1.24 miles) called Chikubushima. If you climb all 165 steps of the rock staircase, you will find Tsukubusuma Shrine (Chikubushima Shrine) and Hogon-ji Temple built as if they were clinging to the slanting surface of the mountain. For a very long time this temple has gained the faith of many travelers as an important stop on the 33-site Saigoku (Western Japan) Kannon Pilgrimage and is counted as one of the 8 most beautiful scenes of Lake Biwa. At one time, a distinctive Buddhist culture flourished in Kohoku with Mt. Kodakami, a mountain 923 m (3,028 feet) above sea level, at its center. Outlasting the many wars and political turmoil, many images of Buddha are still remaining on the mountain. These pieces have never been taken from this location by religious groups or temples because local residents 伊吹山（海拔1377公尺）。山裡生長藥草，一到夏季， 在山頂附近可以看到高山植物繁生的花田。還可享受 滑雪、跳傘及登山的樂趣。 滋賀縣內多處以水質純淨而聞名，泉神社就是其中之 一。許多人都慕名前來取水。地藏川裡棲息著只能在 乾淨水質下生存的伊富魚和鱘魚，醒井養鱒場使用豐 富的泉水養殖虹鱒。 湖西 位於琵琶湖西岸的比良山山麓，有純樸且豐富的自然 景觀，當地盛行海上休閒活動及冬季運動。 海拔1100公尺的琵琶湖山谷是關西首屈一指的滑雪 場。還設有健行步道、室外娛樂設施、露營區等。 高島的白鬚神社，據說在近江歷史最為悠久。針江 地區留有古傳的泉水文化叫「川端」。此是將泉水引進 家中或是院內所建的池裡，其中最乾淨的水當作飲用 水或煮飯用水。餐盤上剩下的米粒用來餵食池裡的鯉 魚，淨化水質之後排放到河裡。每年孟夏可見白白小小 的梅花藻的花朵，飄浮在穿過市區的針江大河。梅花 藻只能生長在整年恆溫且乾淨的水中。可見針江真是 個水源豐沛的都市。 海津自古為驛站及港都而聞名。漂亮的格子砌成的 瓦屋，鯽魚壽司的老店及釀酒場等，還留有昔日驛站城 市的風貌。 牧野果園是個農業實習公園。可享受現採栗子、哈 密瓜、櫻桃、葡萄等水果的樂趣之外，據說園內某處與 韓國超人氣偶像劇「冬季戀歌」場景相似。牧野果園中 央是約有500棵水杉林立的行道，直線延伸2.4公里。 在原保有許多舊式的茅草屋頂的民宅。一到冬天就 大雪紛飛，瀰漫著秘境的氣息。 橫跨牧野到今津、朽木約80公里山脊的高島登山步 道，最近進行整修，可眺望日本海及琵琶湖的健行活 動最受歡迎。
through the generations have wanted to protect and pass the precious pieces down to future generations just where they stand. There are, however, a number of pieces with a connection to Mt. Kodakami enshrined at Kokoukaku and Yoshirokaku in Kinomoto-cho. Images of the Bodhisattva of Compassion (eleven-faced Kannon) in Kohoku are portrayed in novels by Inoue Yasushi (1907-1991) and by Mizukami Tsutomu (1919-2004). Particularly known is one created in year 736 and kept by the Kogen-ji (Dogan-ji) Temple in Takatsukicho town. This statue, adorned with earrings and having the body slightly turned at the waist, conveys the style and manner of India and western China. It is said to be the most beautiful image of the eleven-faced Kannon out of the 7 national treasures of its kind within Japan and loved so much that even back when all temples were on the verge of being wiped out during the warring states period, village people buried their beloved Bodhisattva in the earth to protect it, saving it from destruction. The eleven-faced Kannon image at the Nishino Yakushi Kannon-do is from the early Heian Period (the 8th-12th century). A solemn, steady sense of comfort can be seen in this statue with the chubbiness of the body, notably the chest and thighs. As for the eleven-faced Kannon image at Shakudo-ji Temple, even now some of the red coloring remains on the lips and makes for a very elegant face. Both statues are designated as important cultural property. Old houses still remain lining the streets in the prosperous Hokkoku Kaido post station of Kinomoto. Joshin-ji Temple (Kinomoto Jizo-in) is said to offer the grace of healing for those with eye problems and there are many other interesting places to see as well in the town. It may be a good idea to make use of the rental bicycles and go around touring the various Buddhist statues. You can drop the bicycle off at the station nearest you anywhere within the northern Lake Biwa area and maybe even enjoy some hiking. If you are in this area during the autumn season, the different colors of all the changing leaves is really quite a sight. Speaking of beautiful sights, you can take a cable car up to near the
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