It was located in a strategically important region for controlling the surrounding areas, such as large and middle-size lakes including Lake Biwa as well as the Tozan-do Road, continuing from Mino Province to Kyoto City, and the Happu-kaido Road, connecting the settlement of Choko-ji Temple to Ise City.
周辺は琵琶湖や大中の湖、美濃から京都へ至る東山道、長光寺集落から伊勢へ抜ける八風街道があり、それらを管制できる要衝に位置する。