Shiga Prefecture (滋賀県,Shiga-ken) is a landlockedprefecture of Japan located in theKansai region ofHonshu.^[2] Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of 4,017 km² (1,551 sq mi). Shiga Prefecture bordersFukui Prefecture to the north,Gifu Prefecture to the northeast,Mie Prefecture to the southeast, andKyoto Prefecture to the west.

Shiga Prefecture 滋賀県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
• Japanese	滋賀県
• Rōmaji	Shiga-ken
The floating pavilion ofMangetsu-ji on the shores ofLake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located inOtsu City, Shiga Prefecture
Flag Symbol
Anthem:Shiga kenmin no uta
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Island	Honshu
Capital	Ōtsu
Subdivisions	Districts: 3,Municipalities: 19
Government
• Governor	Taizō Mikazuki
Area
• Total	4,017.38 km2 (1,551.12 sq mi)
• Rank	38th
Population  (October 1, 2015)
• Total	1,412,916
• Rank	28th
• Density	350/km2 (910/sq mi)
GDP [1]
• Total	JP¥ 6,923 billion US$ 63.5 billion (2019)
ISO 3166 code	JP-25
Website	http://www.pref.shiga.lg.jp
Symbols of Japan
Bird	Little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Flower	Rhododendron (Rhododendron metternichii var. hondoense)
Tree	Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)

Ōtsu is the capital and largest city of Shiga Prefecture, with other major cities includingKusatsu,Nagahama, andHigashiōmi.^[3] Shiga Prefecture encirclesLake Biwa, the largestfreshwater lake in Japan, and 37% of the total land area is designated asNatural Parks, the highest of any prefecture. Shiga Prefecture's southern half is located adjacent to the former capital city ofKyoto and forms part ofGreater Kyoto, the fourth-largestmetropolitan area in Japan. Shiga Prefecture is home toŌmi beef, theEight Views of Ōmi, andHikone Castle, one of fournational treasure castles in Japan.

Shiga was known asŌmi Province orGōshū before the prefectural system was established.^[4] Omi was a neighbor ofNara andKyoto, at the junction of western and eastern Japan. During the period 667 to 672,Emperor Tenji founded a palace in Otsu. In 742,Emperor Shōmu founded a palace inShigaraki. In the earlyHeian period,Saichō was born in the north of Otsu and foundedEnryaku-ji, the center ofTendai and aUNESCOWorld Heritage Siteand monument of Ancient Kyoto now.

During theHeian period, theSasaki clan ruled Omi, and afterward, theRokkaku clan,Kyōgoku clan, andAzai clans ruled Omi. While during theAzuchi-Momoyama period,Oda Nobunaga subjugated Omi and builtAzuchi Castle on the eastern shores ofLake Biwa in 1579.Tōdō Takatora,Gamō Ujisato,Oichi,Yodo-dono,Ohatsu, andOeyo were Omi notables during this period.

In 1600,Ishida Mitsunari, born in the east of Nagahama and based inSawayama Castle, made war againstTokugawa Ieyasu inSekigahara, Gifu. After the battle, Ieyasu madeIi Naomasa a new lord of Sawayama. Naomasa established theHikone Domain, later famous forIi Naosuke. Ii Naosuke became the Tokugawa shogunate'sTairō and concluded commercial treaties with the Western powers and thus ended Japan's isolation from the world in the 19th century. Besides the Hikone Domain, many domains ruled Omi such asZeze.

With theabolition of the han system, eight prefectures were formed in Omi. They were unified into Shiga Prefecture in September 1872. "Shiga Prefecture" was named after "Shiga District" because Otsu belonged to the district until 1898. From August 1876 to February 1881, southern Fukui Prefecture had been incorporated into Shiga Prefecture.

In 2015, Shiga GovernorTaizō Mikazuki conducted a survey asking citizens whether they felt it necessary to change the name of the prefecture, partly to raise its profile as a destination for domestic tourism.^[5]

Shiga bordersFukui Prefecture in the north,Gifu Prefecture in the east,Mie Prefecture in the southeast, andKyoto Prefecture in the west.

Lake Biwa, Japan's largest, is located at the center of this prefecture. It occupies one-sixth of its area. TheSeta River flows from Lake Biwa toOsaka Bay throughKyoto. This is the only natural river that flows out from the lake. Most other natural rivers flow into the lake. There were many lagoons around Lake Biwa, but most of them were reclaimed in 1940s. One of the preserved lagoons is the wetland (水郷,suigō) in Omihachiman, and it was selected as the firstImportant Cultural Landscapes in 2006.

The lake divides the prefecture into four different areas:Kohoku (湖北, north of lake) centered Nagahama,Kosei (湖西, west of lake) centeredImazu,Kotō (湖東, east of lake) centered Hikone andKonan (湖南, south of lake) centered Otsu.

Plains stretch to the eastern shore of Lake Biwa. The prefecture is enclosed by mountain ranges with theHira Mountains andMount Hiei in the west, theIbuki Mountains in the northeast, and theSuzuka Mountains in the southeast.Mount Ibuki is the highest mountain in Shiga. InYogo, a small lake is famous for the legend of the heavenly robe of an angel (天女の羽衣,tennyo no hagoromo), which is similar to a westernSwan maiden.^[6]

Shiga's climate sharply varies between north and south. Southern Shiga is usually warm, but northern Shiga is typically cold with high snowfall and hosts many skiing grounds. In Nakanokawachi, the northernmost village of Shiga, snow reached a depth of 5.6 metres (18 ft) in 1936.^[7]

As of 1 April 2014, 37% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated asNatural Parks (the highest total of any prefecture), namely theBiwako andSuzuka Quasi-National Parks; andKotō,Kutsuki-Katsuragawa, andMikami-Tanakami-Shigaraki Prefectural Natural Parks.^[8]

Thirteen cities are located in Shiga Prefecture:

These are the towns in eachdistrict:

The current governor of Shiga isTaizō Mikazuki, a former member of the House of Representatives from Shiga (DPJ, 3rd district), who was narrowlyelected in July 2014 with center-left support against ex-METI-bureaucratTakashi Koyari (supported by the center-right national-level ruling parties) to succeed governorYukiko Kada. In June 2018, he wasoverwhelmingly reelected to a second term against only one, Communist challenger.^[9][10][11]

Theprefectural assembly has 44 members from 16 electoral districts, and is still elected in unified local elections (last round:2019). As of July 2019, the assembly was composed by caucus as follows:LDP 20 members, Team Shiga (CDP,DPP, former Kada supporters etc.) 14,JCP 4, Sazanami Club (of independents) 3,Kōmeitō 2, "independent"/non-attached 1.^[12]

In theNational Diet, Shiga is represented by four directly elected members of theHouse of Representatives and two (one per ordinary election) of theHouse of Councillors. For the proportional representation segment of the lower house, the prefecture forms part of theKinki block. After the national elections of2016,2017 and2019, the directly elected delegation to the Diet from Shiga consists of (as of August 1, 2019):

• in the House of Representatives
  • for the1st district in the west:Toshitaka Ōoka, LDP, 3rd term,
  • for the2nd district in the northeast:Ken'ichirō Ueno, LDP, 4th term,
  • for the3rd district on the southern shores of Lake Biwa:Nobuhide Takemura, LDP, 3rd term,
  • for the4th district in the southeast:Hiroo Kotera, LDP, 1st term,
• in the House of Councillors (Shiga At-large district)
  • in the class of 2016 (term ends 2022): Takashi Koyari, LDP, 1st term,
  • in the class of 2019 (term ends 2025): Yukiko Kada, independent sitting with theHekisuikai caucus, 1st term.

Cultivated areas occupy nearly one-sixth of the prefecture. Rice is the principal crop: over 90 percent of the farmlands are rice fields. Most farms are small, producing only a slight income. Most farmers depend on income from other sources. Eastern Shiga is famous forcattle breeding and southeastern Shiga is famous forgreen tea. On Lake Biwa, some people are engaged in fishery andfreshwater pearl farming.

Since the Medieval Period, especially inEdo period, many Shiga people were active incommerce and were called Ōmi merchants (近江商人,Ōmi shōnin, Ōmi akindo), sometimes Ōmi thieves (近江泥棒,Ōmi dorobō) by other envious merchants. For example,Nippon Life,Itochu,Marubeni,Takashimaya,Wacoal andYanmar were founded by people from Shiga. In their home towns such as Omihachiman, Hino,Gokashō and Toyosato, their mansions were preserved as tourist attractions.

Beginning in the 1960s, Shiga developed industry, supporting major factories owned by companies such asIBM Japan,Canon,Yanmar Diesel,Mitsubishi, andToray. According toCabinet Office's statistics in 2014, theManufacturing sector accounted for 35.4% of Gross Shiga Product, the highest proportion in Japan.^[13] Traditional industries include textiles,Shigaraki ware,Butsudan in Hikone and Nagahama, medicines in Koka, and fan ribs inAdogawa.

The population is concentrated along the southern shore of Lake Biwa in Otsu city (adjacent to Kyoto) and along the lake's eastern shore in cities such as Kusatsu and Moriyama, which arewithin commuting distance to Kyoto. The lake's western and northern shores are more rural and resort-oriented with white sand beaches. In recent years, many Brazilians settled in Shiga to work in nearby factories. 25,040 foreigners live in Shiga and 30% of foreigners were Brazilians as of December 2016.^[14]

Biwa Town (now a part of Nagahama) is a home of TheTonda Traditional Bunraku Puppet Troupe. Founded in the 1830s, the group is one of the most active traditionalBunrakupuppet theaters in Japan outside the National Theater in Osaka. Toyosato and Higashiomi are known to a mecca ofGoshu ondo.

Museums include theSagawa Art Museum in Moriyama, theLake Biwa Museum in Kusatsu and theMiho Museum in Kōka. In Kōka, a ninja house is preserved as a visitor center.^[15]

Since ancient times, Shigans have eaten fish from Lake Biwa. The most famous lake-food isfermented sushi ofcrucian carp (鮒寿司,funa-zushi). It retains the ancient style of sushi and has a pungent odor. Shiga is also famous for high qualitywagyū,Ōmi beef. The Hikone Domain presented beef as medicinal food to shōguns.^[16] In addition,tsukemono of root crops,mallardnabe or mallardsukiyaki (鴨鍋 or 鴨すき,kamo-nabe or kamo-suki) in northern Shiga, red coloredkonjac (赤こんにゃく,aka konnyaku) in Omihachiman,sōmen with grilledmackerel (焼鯖素麺,yaki-saba sōmen) in Nagahama, and lightly seasonedchampon in Hikone are examples of specific cuisine in Shiga.

•  
  A fish store in Ōtsu
•  
  Funa-zushi – fermentedcrucian carp
•  
  Nagahama yaki-saba sōmen
•  
  Hikone champon

Biwako Broadcasting broadcasts local TV programs.NHK has a broadcasting station in Otsu. Shiga is the only prefecture which has no regional newspapers.Kyoto Shimbun is a de facto regional newspaper of Shiga.

Ten universities, two junior colleges, and a learning center ofThe Open University of Japan operate in Shiga.^[17]

• Biwako-Gakuin University (Higashiomi)
• Biwako Seikei Sport College (Otsu)
• Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology (Nagahama)
• Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto and Kusatsu)
• Ryukoku University (Kyoto and Otsu)
• Seian University of Art and Design (Otsu)
• Seisen University (Hikone)
• Shiga Bunkyo Junior College (Nagahama)
• Shiga Junior College (Otsu)
• Shiga University (Hikone andŌtsu)
• Shiga University of Medical Science (Otsu)
• University of Shiga Prefecture (Hikone)

The following sports teams are based in Shiga.

• Basketball: Shiga LakeStars
• Football (soccer):Lagend Shiga (Moriyama), MIO Biwako Kusastsu (nowReilac Shiga) (Kusatsu),Sagawa Shiga F.C. (Moriyama).
• Tennis: SHRIGGA AKA UVEAL
• Volleyball:Toray Arrows (women's volleyball team) (Otsu)

Shiga has manytourism resources, but Shiga is overshadowed by its much more famous neighbor Kyoto. Over four million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2000, but only sixty-five thousand visited Shiga.^[18]

The main gateways to Shiga are theMaibara Station in northern Shiga and the city ofŌtsu in the south. The Maibara Station is about 2 hours and 20 minutes away from theTokyo Station by the Tokaido Shinkansen. It is easy to go to Ōtsu from Kyoto and Osaka by high-speed trains.

Shiga's most prominent feature is Lake Biwa. The northern shore is especially scenic, such as the cherry blossoms of Kaizu Osaki in spring and the sacred islandChikubu-shima. The western shore has white sand beaches, popular among Kyotoites during the summer. The scenery of the southern shore, particularly around Otsu, was selected asŌmi Hakkei orEight Views of Ōmi, popularized byHiroshige'sukiyo-e. Most of the original eight views are now almost gone or changed from centuries ago. One remaining view is the Ukimidō "floating temple" building atMangetsu-ji temple in Katata, northern Ōtsu. It was reconstructed with concrete in 1937, but a small temple still stands on the lake near the shore, accessible by a short bridge. Another scene featuresIshiyama-dera temple in southern Otsu, which is also renowned for having a room whereMurasaki Shikibu thought up the plan for some chapters ofTale of Genji.

The mountains around the lake offer extensive views. Mount Hira is a picnic spot. Mountain roads like the Oku-Biwako Parkway road up north and the Hiei-zan Driveway and Oku-Hiei Driveway overlooking the southwestern shore. In Ōtsu, the Ōtsu Prince Hotel's Top of Otsu restaurant provides views of the lake and city. TheMichigan paddlewheel boat offers lake cruises.

Besides the natural environment, historical buildings, and festivals, several persons of national importance hail from Shiga prefecture.^{[citation needed]} Shiga has 807National Treasures andImportant Cultural Properties, making it the prefecture with the fourth largest number of such properties in Japan.^[13] Shiga's most famous historical building isHikone Castle, one of fournational treasure castles in the country. The castle tower is well-preserved and has many cherry trees. The neighboring city ofNagahama hastourism in addition to its hikiyama festival. Nearby shrines includeHiyoshi Taisha in Otsu andTaga-taisha in Taga, which respectively head the seventh and twentieth largestshrine networks in Japan, at about 4,000 shrines and 260 shrines, respectively.

Festivals include the hikiyama festival (floats parade festival), held in ten areas such asNagahama, Otsu, Maibara, Hino and Minakuchi. The Nagahama hikiyama festival held each April is one of the three major hikiyama festivals in Japan and was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1979. During this festival ornate floats are mounted with miniature stages on which boys (playing both male and female roles) act inkabuki plays.^[19] Higashiomi (formerlyYōkaichi) city holds a Giant Kite Festival every May along the riverbank. Ordinary people are invited to pull the rope that sends the kites aloft.

• Central Japan Railway Company
  • Tōkaidō Shinkansen (Maibara Station) and Tōkaidō Main Line
• Keihan Electric Railway
  • Keishin Line andIshiyama Sakamoto Line
• Ohmi Railway
  • Main Line,Yōkaichi Line andTaga Line
• Sakamoto Cable
• Shigaraki Kōgen Railway
• West Japan Railway Company
  • Tōkaidō Main Line (Biwako Line),Hokuriku Main Line,Kusatsu Line andKosei Line

Meishin Expressway,Shin-Meishin Expressway andHokuriku Expressway pass through Shiga. National highway Route1,8,21,8,161,303,306,307,365,367,421,422 and477 connect with neighboring prefectures. Two bridges span southern part of Lake Biwa.

With development of land transportation in the 20th century, waterborne transportation in Lake Biwa was disused except for steamer services to islands on the lake and pleasure boats.

• Gentaro Kawase, president ofNippon Life Insurance fromŌmihachiman
• Hizaki, a musician and songwriter, known for work as guitarist ofVersailles.
• Kakuzo Kawamoto, business executive and politician fromTakashima District.
• Kizo Yasui, business executive fromHikone, Shiga. Vice-president ofMitsui Bank, president of Mitsui Petroleum and Chemical Industries (nowMitsui Chemicals), chairman ofToray Industries, vice-chairman ofNihon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), general manager ofTokyo Metropolis ofIse Shrine Revered Board.
• Sōsuke Uno, the 75thprime minister from Moriyama. He was one of the shortest-serving prime ministers in Japan, holding office for only three months (June–August 1989).
• Takanori Nishikawa, a singer and actor from Hikone and Yasu. He is also active as the first Cultural Ambassador for Shiga.

Shiga has cooperative agreements with three states.^[20]

•  Hunan, China
•  Michigan, United States, since 1968
•  Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005).Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge:Harvard University Press.ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5;OCLC 58053128
• Shiga-ken hyakka jiten [Encyclopedia Shiga] (滋賀県百科事典, 1984). Tokyo: Yamato Shobo.

•  Shiga travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Shiga Prefecture official page
• go.biwako - Travel Guide of Shiga Prefecture, Japan (Biwako Visitors Bureau)
• Shiga Prefecture Guide - GoJapanGo
• Shiga-ken.com

35°7′N136°4′E / 35.117°N 136.067°E /35.117; 136.067