Gamō

Gamō lies east of Lake Biwa in Ōmi, on the routes between the eastern provinces and Kyoto. In 1576 Oda Nobunaga began building Azuchi Castle here, raising a spectacular stronghold above the lake. The following year he issued rules intended to make its town a centre of trade and transport, granting merchants freedom from established market restrictions. Azuchi became a visible expression of Nobunaga's power during his campaigns to bring Japan under his authority.