Winter in Sakamoto, Shiga, Japan

Sakamoto, which prospered as a temple town of Hieizan Enryakuji, has about 50 Satobo. The satobo was given to an old priest who had completed ascetic training on the mountain, and all of the satobo have beautiful gardens with designs such as natural stones and borrowed landscapes, and beautiful colors such as azaleas, autumn leaves, and moss.

The area was designated as an important traditional building preservation district in 1997.

Sakamoto is also home to a group of stonemasons called the Anaoshu (Ushuu), who built the castle’s stone walls, and the Satobo stone walls are solid (Kengo) made of skillfully piled natural stones, creating a tranquil atmosphere in harmony with the white walls.