was a town

Towns of Japan

A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...

 located in Gamō District

Gamo District, Shiga

is a district located in Shiga, Japan.As of September 1, 2011, the district has an estimated population of 35,629 and a density of 220 persons per km²...

, Shiga

Shiga Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 12,217 and a density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 502.76 persons per km². The total area was 24.30 km².

The town is well known for the ruins of Azuchi Castle

Azuchi Castle

' was one of the primary castles of Oda Nobunaga. It was built from 1576 to 1579, on the shores of Lake Biwa, in Ōmi Province. Nobunaga intentionally built it close enough to Kyoto that he could watch over and guard the approaches to the capital, but, being outside the city, his fortress would be...

 of Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...

, the 16th century ruler of Japan. The period in the history of Japan

History of Japan

The history of Japan encompasses the history of the islands of Japan and the Japanese people, spanning the ancient history of the region to the modern history of Japan as a nation state. Following the last ice age, around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem of the Japanese Archipelago fostered human...

 approximately between 1568 and 1603 is called Azuchi-Momoyama period

Azuchi-Momoyama period

The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1573 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...

. Azuchi Castle ruins remain for the temple Soken-ji

Sōken-ji

is a temple of the Rinzai school Myōshin-ji sect of Zen. It is located in the Azuchi area of Ōmihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.The temple was donated by Oda Nobunaga to Azuchi Castle during the Azuchi-Momoyama period in the Tenshō era....

 donated by Oda Nobunaga. He also established the oldest Christian Seminary in Japan, and its ruins are now a small public park.

On March 21, 2010, Azuchi was merged into the expanded city of Ōmihachiman

Omihachiman, Shiga

is a city in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on March 31, 1954. In the quinquennial census of 2010, it had a population of 81,730...

.

Transportation

Azuchi Station

Azuchi Station

is a train station in Azuchi, city of Omihachiman, Shiga, Japan.-Stations next to Azuchi:...

 of The Biwako Line railway provides public transportation to the town.

The National Highway Route 8

Route 8 (Japan)

National Route 8 is an important highway in the Hokuriku and Kansai regions. It connects the prefectural capitals of Niigata, Toyama, Kanazawa , Fukui, Otsu , and Kyoto.-Route Data:*Length:...

passes through the town.

External links

• Azuchi Castle Photo Gallery at PHOTOGUIDE.JP