Takashima

Takashima lies between the western shore of Lake Biwa and the mountains of Ōmi. In 1578 Oda Nobuzumi built Ōmizo Castle here, using a small lagoon, rivers and moats to protect the stronghold. Merchants were brought from neighbouring settlements to establish a castle town, and a harbour connected it to traffic on the lake. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Ōmizo became the seat of a domain ruled by the Wakebe family.