The opening of highway interchanges and new train station has led to increasing urbanization, as the city is within commuting distance of Kyoto and Osaka, and is relatively close to Nagoya to the east.

Shiga Prefecture Rittō has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.

In 1487, during the Sengoku period, the area of Magari, which today is part of Rittō, was the site of a battle between the shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa against Rokkaku Takayori and allied ninja from Iga and Kōka ikki.

[4][5] The forces of Rokkaku, Iga, and Kōka defeated those of the shogun, and the ninja gained significant fame from their military actions.

[4][5] During the Edo Period, much of the area which became Rittō was under control of either Zeze Domain or was tenryo territory directly administered by the Tokugawa shogunate.

The area was organized into villages within Kurita District, Shiga with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.