An ancient temple on the sacred stone mountain, to offer a beautiful view with blooming flowers.

Ishiyama-dera Temple is located in Otsu, at the southern shore of Lake Biwa. The ancient temple complex of Ishiyama-dera was established around the middle of the 8th century by Roben Osho. Its name Ishiyama means “stone mountain” from the unusual stone outcropping on which it is built.

Ishiyama-dera is the 13th location on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage of 33 Buddhist Temples.

The temple is home to a large number of National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. The main hall Enshrined an image of the Nyoirin-Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) which is designated by the national government as an Important Cultural Property.

The Taho-to (a pagoda that enshrines the Buddha) was built by Minamoto no Yoritomo who ruled at the end of the 12th century. This pagoda is also designated as a National Treasure.

There are many other historical and cultural properties, including the Todai-mon (a gate which is an Important Cultural Property), the Genji-no-Ma (where it is said the worlds oldest novel, The Tale of Genji was written). It is said that the “The Tale of Genji,” was conceived by its author Murasaki Shikibu when looking at harvest moon reflected in Lake Biwa during a stay at Ishiyama-dera Temple.

ishiyamadera pagoda — ● The Taho-to 「多宝塔」

● The statue of Murasaki-shikibu with autumn leaves

The temple with blooming flowers

In the temple grounds many different kinds of flowers bloom and offer the visitors a beautiful view. Plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, azaleas, and peonies bloom in spring, hydrangea and iris in the summer. As for the cherry blossoms, visitors are able to see many different types of cherry trees, such as someiyoshino, shidarezakura, and yamazakura. The best time to see them is from the end of March to the beginning of April.