ÅŒmi Province
The Ōmi Province (Japanese近 江 国, Ōmi no kuni ) was an old province of Japan. The area now forms the Shiga Prefecture. With its location on the Tōkaidō between the imperial capital Kyoto and the Kanto area came to her strategically to a key position.
This also took Oda Nobunaga, who had to give a fief on the eastern shore of Biwako and built the important castle of Azuchi.
A large role was played over the centuries the monasteries of Enryaku -ji on the Hieizan.
In Ōmi - kyō (now Otsu Cities ), short -time capital of Japan, the castle stood Zeze.
In the Sengoku period, the northern part of the province was a fief of Ishida Mitsunari, Tokugawa Ieyasu's opponent in the Battle of Sekigahara, though he mostly in the castle of Osaka, the fief of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's young son managed.
After Ishida defeat Tokugawa gave the fief to the allied with him family Ii, who built the castle and the city of Hikone on the ruins of Sawayama.
Etymology
Ōmi is, in the notation (近 江) " near Bay (also in terms of lake ) ." In ancient times, however, it was written as近 淡 海what " near freshwater lake " means and Lake Biwa says. The term is in contrast to the " distant freshwater lake ", the Lake Hamana in the province Tōtōmi. As a result of a decree in the 8th century, according to provincial names have to consist of 2 characters,近 淡 海was shortened to近 江.
The actual transcription of近 淡 海was originally Chika tsu Ahaumi [note 1] and later Chika tsu Afumi. In spoken language, however, the Lake Biwa was short as Afumi ( " fresh water lake " ) and are omitted the " close ". This was also applied to the reduced近 江. Then was Oumi ( Ōmi ) From Afumi.