Traveling further south from Seta no Karahashi Bridge (a bridge that appeared in many historical took place) in Ōtsu City, you will find Ishiyama-dera (石山寺). The temple is one of the three Kannon sanctuaries in the Heian period (the other two are Kyoto‘s Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) and Nara‘s Hase-dera (長谷寺)). Another title earned by the temple is the 13th holy site of the 33 Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage. Moreover, the temple built on the wollastonite offers natural scenery beyond words. It is filled with gorgeous seasonal flowers that the locals also call it the Temple of Flowers. Especially from mid-November to early December, it is one of the best fall foliage hunting spots in the southern Shiga Prefecture.
Table of Contents
- Ishiyama-dera’s History
- Why Is the Temple Called Ishiyama?
- Tōdaimon Gate (東大門)
- The Magical Kuguri-iwa Rock (くぐり岩)
- Ishiyama-dera’s Main Hall: Hondō (本堂)
- Ishiyama-dera and Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部)
- Tahōtō Pagoda (多宝塔)
- The Eight Views of Ōmi and Tsukimi-tei (月見亭)
- The Flower Calendar at Ishiyama-dera
- Ishiyama-dera’s Opening Hours, Admission Fees, and Access Information
Refer to HERE for Ishiyama-dera Map in Japanese.
Ishiyama-dera’s History
It is a temple with a long history constructed under the order of Emperor Shōmu (聖武天皇) in 761. The temple, established by a revered monk called Ryōben Sōjō (良弁僧正),
The story goes all the way back to the time when the big Buddha statue in Tōdai-ji (東大寺) in Nara was being curved. At the time, gold was required to complete the statue. Having trouble finding the gold, Ryōben prayed to the Zaō Gongen (蔵王権現) in Mt. Yoshino (吉野山).
The oracle he received from Zaō Gongen was as follows: at the south of Lake Biwa, there is a mountain where the Kannon Bodhisattva appears. If you pray there, your problem will be resolved.
Following what was told, Ryōben built a hut and enshrined Emperor Shōmu’s Cintāmaṇicakra (如意輪観音) and prayed. Soon after, gold was mined from Mutsu Province (陸奥国), the current Fukushima Prefecture.
Hearing the news, Emperor Shōmu wanted his Cintāmaṇicakra statue to be returned to Nara. However, the statue seemed to have its own will. Because no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn’t move it!
With the statue so determined to stay where it is, a proper temple was built to enshrine it. This is the origin of Ishiyama-dera.
Cintāmaṇicakra (如意輪観音) is a transformation of the Kannon Bodhisattva.
In the Heian period (794 – 1185), pilgrimage to Ishiyama-dera was popular among members of the imperial family and aristocrats.
Why Is the Temple Called Ishiyama?
On the precinct of Ishiyama-dera, there is a gigantic wollastonite. In fact, the pagoda and many worship halls are built above this wollastonite.
The stone that was designated as a Rare Natural Monument (天然記念物) is so big that it seems like a mountain. This is why the temple is called Ishiyama, which means ‘stone mountain’.
There is something special about wollastonite. With the rock containing different water levels, the level of darkness changes accordingly! Whilst it usually has a grey color, on a rainy day or even when the air is humid, the color will turn black.
Tōdaimon Gate (東大門)
In particular, the Tōdaimon Gate (東大門) facing the Seta River was gifted by Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝), the founder of the Kamakura shogunate. It is now an Important National Cultural Property.
Tōdaimon is the mountain gate of Ishiyama-dera. First completed in the 12th century, the gate later underwent a major renovation by Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s second wife – Yodo-dono (淀君), between 1596 and 1612. The two wooden Nio Statues (仁王像) stationed at the two sides of the gate are said to be the work of Tankei (湛慶), who was a famous sculptor in the Kamakura period (1192 – 1333).
The approach stretching from the gate has Kirishima azaleas lined that color the approach vividly in late April each year.
The temple, known for its cherry blossom scenery, also has gorgeous pink flowers decorating the surroundings of the gate in early April.
The Magical Kuguri-iwa Rock (くぐり岩)
Besides the purification fountain, there is a marble that has a small tunnel in its middle. It is said that if you go through this tunnel, your wishes will come true!
Leaving whether it really has the power or not, it might just be fun to follow suit (´▽｀*).
Note the stone tunnel inside the large rock has limited space. Please don’t force your body to go through it, or you might get stuck.
Also, please don’t feed the fish in the pond.
Fortunately, our body was slim enough to reach the other end of the tunnel, albeit we had to use all our limbs to get through! Thus, a commemorative photo was taken at the other end of the tunnel with the Koi fish in the pond. You can refer to the second last photo in the Instagram post ヾ(≧▽≦)ﾉ.
Ishiyama-dera’s Main Hall: Hondō (本堂)
The main worship hall, Hondō, rebuilt in 1096, is the oldest wooden architecture in Shiga Prefecture. It is currently a National Treasure of Japan. It is where the Kannon Bodhisattva statue that we mentioned before is enshrined. The 5-meter tall statue is now an Important National Cultural Property that is only shown to the public once every 33 years or during important occasions, such as Emperor’s coronation.
So the Cintāmaṇicakra (如意輪観音) statue that you most likely will meet is the statue called Omaedachi-sama (御前立様).
This worship hall is actually a compound building. The Sōdō Hall (正堂) was built in the 8th century. But half of it was burnt down in 1078, which was then restored in 1096. Then in 1600, a major reparation commenced. Two years later, with a donation from Yodo-dono (淀君), the worship hall was expanded to have a Raidō Hall (礼堂) attached to it.
You can refer to Ishiyama-dera’s Pamphlet for how the Kannon statue looks.
Ishiyama-dera and Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部)
Murasaki Shikibu was a noblewoman and renowned novelist and poet in the Heian period. She stayed in Ishiyama-dera for a week to observe the full moon in August 1004.
During her time at the temple, the main storyline of the famous literature, The Tale of Genji (源氏物語), was formed in her head. The room she stayed in the main worship hall was thus named Genshi no Ma (源氏の間). The masterpiece represents the classical literature of the Heian period (794 – 1185).
In commemoration, Genji no Ma features a life-size figure of Lady Murasaki and her maids.
Tahōtō Pagoda (多宝塔)
The pagoda of Ishiyama-dera was also gifted by Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1194. It is currently the oldest wooden pagoda in Japan and is a National Treasure. Inside the pagoda, a Vairocana statue (大日如来) is enshrined.
Instead of having all the stories in the same shape, this Tahōtō is considered Japan’s most beautiful pagoda. It has its first floor in a square shape, and the level above it is round.
The Eight Views of Ōmi and Tsukimi-tei (月見亭)
If you ask what inspired Murasaki Shikibu to write the Tale of Genji, it is said that it has something to do with the Tsukimi-tei, the Moon Viewing Pavilion.
The view of the Autumn Full Moon at Ishiyama (Ishiyama no shūgetsu (石山秋月) was selected to be one of the Eight Views of Ōmi (近江八景). It is the night-time scenery from the Tsukimi-tei located close to the Tahōtō Pagoda.
The current pavilion was reconstructed in 1687.
Other Worship Halls and Gardens in Ishiyama-dera
On the vast precinct of the temple, many more worship halls and pagodas are worth checking out. The temple is also known for flowers blooming throughout the year. So, flowers might be blossoming on the side of the approach during your visit!
You can refer to the map on the 3rd page of Ishiyama-dera’s sightseeing brochure HERE.
Our Visit to Ishiyama-dera
Ishiyama-dera was the first attraction we visited for the day, and we got there just before 8 am. Because we were there so early, we almost had the entire temple to ourselves. Beside one of the pillars of the Tōdaimon Gate, we found this cute frog with its mouth wide open. Feel free to put your donation into its mouth when you see it!
The approach between the gate and the ticket booth has maple trees lined, making it one of the most scenic spots in the temple during autumn (the 2nd photo in the IG post). Before reaching the ticket booth, a complex is dedicated to the Buddhist deity, Daikokuten (大黒天). It is where pilgrims pray for good fortune (the 3rd photo in the IG post).
The wollastonite was much bigger than we expected. Rather than a large rock, it was a low mountain! No wonder the temple was named Ishiyama. It really is a rock mountain! Because the main worship hall is built above the wollastonite, the staircases to the top were long!
The temple’s exhibition hall, Hōjō-den (豊浄殿), is above all the buildings in the precinct. The stairs from the main worship hall lead to the magnificent Tahōtō Pagoda and the Tsukimi-tei.
From the Tahōtō Pagoda, the promenade continues to the cherry and plum blossom gardens. In between, there was also a wisteria pergola, which should have the purple flowers gorgeously blooming in spring. In addition to the life-size Murasaki Shikibu figure in the Genji no Ma, there are a few more Murasaki Shikibu statues in the precinct (the 9th photo in the IG post).
The Flower Calendar at Ishiyama-dera
- Plum blossom: Around 400 plum trees will be blooming across the three plum groves from late February to early March..
- 1st plum grove: mid-March
- 2nd plum grove: late February
- 3rd plum grove: early March
- Cherry blossom: late March to early April
- Peony: April to early May
- Kirishima azaleas: late April to early May
- Wisteria: late April to May
- Iris: May to June
- Hydrangea: June to July
- Lotus: July to August
- Autumn foliage: mid-November to early December
- Camellia: December to January
Ishiyama-dera’s Opening Hours, Admission Fees, and Access Information
- The temple is open from 8 am to 4:30 pm.
- The last admission is at 4 pm.
- The admission fee is
- 600 yen for adults
- 250 yen for elementary school students
- To enter the Honjin in Hondō, the additional cost is
- 500 yen for adults
- 250 yen for elementary school students
- In spring and autumn, a special Murasaki Shikibu exhibition will be on. The cost of the exhibition is
- 300 yen for adults
- 150 yen for elementary school students
- The special exhibition is held from 10 am to 4 pm. The last admission is taken at 3:45 pm.
- To enjoy a tea session in the Japanese garden, it will cost you 500 yen.
- The temple is a 10-minute walk from Keihan’s Ishiyama-dera Station (石山寺駅).
- If you are taking a JR train, get off at JR Ishiyama Station (石山駅), then change for a bus bound for Ishiyama Danchi (石山団地), Ōishi (大石), or Shinhama (新浜), and get off at Ishiyama-dera Sanmon-mae (石山寺山門前).
Discover Other Attractions in Ōtsu City
Ōtsu, the capital of Shiga Prefecture, is filled with rich cultural and historical elements. Although it only lasted for five years, we are sure after you admire the scenery of Japan’s biggest lake – Lake Biwa, it won’t be hard to understand why Emperor Tenji (天智天皇) wanted to stay close to it!
For more information, please refer to our article on Ōtsu City (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
