Taikomon Yagura (太鼓門櫓) – Drum Gate Tower – Important Cultural Property — Momoyama period
The Taikomon Yagura guarded the main entrance to the Honmaru (本丸), the central enclosure of Hikone Castle. Relocated from another castle during Hikone's construction in the early seventeenth century, the gate is notable for its unusual design: unlike most yaguramon (櫓門), its rear side is open and connected to a railed corridor. Today it forms one of the castle's best-preserved defensive structures and serves as the principal approach to the main keep.
