A week ago I had the pleasure of visiting Hikone-jo Castle. The castle was home to the Ii family who were pilars of the Edo Shogunate government. The castle was built using materials from Mt. Hikone also known as Konki castle. One of the unique features of the castle is the way the stone walls were built using Koto rhyolites. While at the museum we saw robes worn to tea ceremonies, samurai gear and swords. We also visited the garden and the souvenir shop.