Editing Shiga Prefecture (section)

== History ==
{{See also|Historic Sites of Shiga Prefecture}}
Shiga was known as '''[[Ōmi Province]]''' or '''Gōshū''' before the prefectural system was established.<ref>Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 780|page=780}}.</ref>  Omi was a neighbor of [[Nara, Nara|Nara]] and [[Kyoto]], 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 in [[Shigaraki, Shiga|Shigaraki]]. In the early [[Heian period]], [[Saichō]] was born in the north of Otsu and founded [[Enryaku-ji]], the center of [[Tendai]] and a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] [[Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)|and monument of Ancient Kyoto]] now.

During the [[Heian period]], the [[Sasaki clan]] ruled Omi, and afterward, the [[Rokkaku clan]], [[Kyōgoku clan]], and [[Azai clan]]s ruled Omi. While during the [[Azuchi–Momoyama period|Azuchi-Momoyama period]], [[Oda Nobunaga]] subjugated Omi and built [[Azuchi Castle]] on the eastern shores of [[Lake Biwa]] in 1579. [[Tōdō Takatora]], [[Gamō Ujisato]], [[Oichi]], [[Yodo-dono]], [[Ohatsu]], and [[Oeyo]] were Omi notables during this period.

In 1600, [[Ishida Mitsunari]], born in the east of Nagahama and based in [[Sawayama Castle]], made war against [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] in [[Sekigahara, Gifu]]. After the battle, Ieyasu made [[Ii Naomasa]] a new lord of Sawayama. Naomasa established the [[Hikone Domain]], later known for [[Ii Naosuke]]. Ii Naosuke became the Tokugawa shogunate's [[Tairō]] 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 as [[Zeze Domain|Zeze]].
[[File:Complete map of Shiga Prefecture, 1880.jpg|thumb|Map of Shiga Prefecture, 1880]]
With the [[abolition 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, Shiga|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 Governor [[Taizō 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.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/04/28/national/shiga-prefecture-mulls-name-change-draw-visitors/#.VmV_xct961s | title = Shiga Prefecture mulls name change to draw more visitors | newspaper = [[The Japan Times]]}}</ref>