When Japan Sea was the center of commerce at sea before the Meiji period, goods landed from Wakasa Bay were carried to Kyoto via Lake Biwa, and then to Osaka via the Yodo-gawa River, which meant that there were a lot of important inland water ports in Shiga.
日本海が海上交易の中心だった明治以前には、若狭湾で陸揚げされた物資が琵琶湖を通じて京都、さらには淀川経由で大阪方面へと運ばれており、内水系の重要港湾が数多く存在した。