Kurokabe Square, located in the former castle town area of Nagahama Castle, is a sightseeing spot where traditional buildings are carefully preserved. This area has streets lined with Japanese-style buildings of the Edo and the Meiji periods housing cultural facilities such as galleries, art glass studios, etc., together with restaurants and cafes. Approximately two million people visit here every year, making this the most popular sightseeing spot in Shiga Prefecture.
Nagahama is where the military commander Hideyoshi Hashiba, the leader who unified Japan more than 400 years ago, became the lord of a castle for the first time during the Warring States Period. The Rakuichi-rakuza (free markets and open guilds) system was introduced in this castle town. The residences of Hideyoshi's vassals were built in a row along an area inside the moat separating the castle town, where warriors whose names have gone down in history lived. Hideaki Kobayakawa, who affected the result of the fateful Battle of Sekigahara, was also born in this castle town.