Ōsaki-ji (大崎寺) is a temple standing at the cliff in the middle of the 4 km Kaizu Ōsaki‘s cherry blossom road. It was erected by the revered monk Taichō (泰澄) in 702. At the time, it was a branch temple of Nara’s Kōfuku-ji (興福寺) and had as many as 39 monks’ temple quarters around the worship halls. However, the temple was devastated since the Kamakura period (1185 – 1333).
Fortunately, in 1536, Ōsaki-ji was revived as a temple belonging to the Shingon sect Chiyama school (真言宗智山派). During Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s reign, the buildings in the precinct were renovated. This renovation actually gave the history buffs a reason to visit Ōsaki-ji. The building material used to renovate the temple’s ceiling was from Azuchi Castle (安土城). Not only was it from the castle, but the materials have bloodstains Σ(ﾟДﾟ).
The temple itself isn’t big. So it usually only takes visitors around 20 minutes to stroll around the precinct. If the weather is good, you might spend most of your time adorning the scenery of Lake Biwa from the observatories.
Important: Be prepared to climb up several sets of less-maintained staircases.
Remember to put 100 yen into the donation pillar at the side of the left stone lantern at the temple entrance.
Then from there, it is around a 5-minute hike to the main worship hall.
Ōsaki-ji’s Hondō
The main worship hall is built on the side of a cliff. The principal image of the temple is an eleven-faced thousand-armed Kannon Bodhisattva (十一面千手観音).
Continuing our talk about the bloodstained ceiling boards, the building material was originally used to restore the main worship hall. The ceiling boards were only moved to Amida-dō in the late 20th century.
After the Honnō-ji Incident (本能寺の変), Oda Nobunaga’s base castle, Azuchi Castle, became Akechi Mitsuhide’s next target. After hearing the bad news, the samurais protecting the castle promptly escorted Nobunaga’s wife and small son to Hino Castle (日野城) to save their lives. When Mitsuhide’s force arrived at Azuchi Castle, disappointed by being unable to fulfill his original goal, he changed the plan and robbed the valuables from the castle to award his retainers.
As a result, Nobunaga’s vassals were either killed or committed seppuku (Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment).
To commemorate Nobunaga’s vassals, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the wooden boards with their bloodstains to reconstruct the Hondō. Memorial services were then held to pray for a peaceful afterlife for them.
Until now, those who passed away in that war still benefit from the chanting/services at Amida-dō.
Enough of the sad talk. After you pay your respect to the Kannon Bodhisattva, enjoy the stunning view from the observatory opposite the main worship hall!
The Amida-dō and The Bloodstain Ceiling
In 1966, after another renovation took place, those ceiling boards with bloodstains were moved from the main worship hall to Amida-dō (阿弥陀堂).
The worship hall is where Amida Buddha is enshrined. It is said the statue was made by Prince Shōtoku (聖徳太子) in the Asuka period (592 – 710).
Important: If you get to Ōsaki-ji outside of 9 am to 4 pm, the Amida-dō and Hondō most likely won’t be open.
Next to the worship hall, there is a small space with a built-in traditional kettle. Apparently, tea ceremonies used to be held here, and the kettle was there for the hot water supply.
Further from Amida-dō, there is a promenade that looks somewhat unpromising. After you pass a few worship halls that look like they will collapse at any second, the lookout at the end of the road will give you an even more magnificent view of Lake Biwa than the one in front of the main worship hall!
How to Get to Ōsaki-ji Temple
From JR Makino Station (マキノ駅), take the community bus and get off at Kaidzu Ōsaki-kuchi (海津大崎口). From the bus stop, it is around a 30-minute walk.
During the cherry blossom season, getting off the bus at Kaizu Ikku (海津1区) will save you a few minutes of walking time.
Please refer to HERE and click the first PDF for the service’s timetable. Please use the bus stops’ Japanese characters to read.
Kaizu Ōsaki (海津大崎)
If you come to the Kansai region for cherry blossoms, consider Kaizu Ōsaki, one of Japan’s Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots!
Along the 4 km lakeshore, there are around 800 cherry trees, old and young, that usually blossom in early to mid-April (the exact date of full bloom varies each year). As one of the cherry blossom destinations in the Kansai region with a relatively late cherry blossom season, it can be a good backup plan, too (^_-)-☆.
For more information, please refer to our article on Kaizu Ōsaki!
Explore Other Alluring Attractions in Takashima City
Takashima City, northwest of Shiga Prefecture, is a trove of photogenic spots. There is a torii gate standing in the ocean-like Lake Biwa, a garden full of different flowers covering a part of a mountain, and much more!
To find out more attractions close to Kaizu Ōsaki, please refer to our article on Takashima City (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
