GAIJINPOT TRAVEL




 

The secret to long life turns out to be 808 precarious stone steps and a beautiful view of Lake Biwa.

Chomei-ji Temple sits on the edge of the majestic Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. It has the honor of being the 31st temple on the Kansai region’s Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, one of Japan’s oldest and most revered Buddhist paths.
 

The eleven faces of Kannon

To reach Chomei-ji Temple, you must climb 808 stone steps through a grove of bamboo on Mount Ikiya. On windy days, the bamboo stalks rattle and tap, almost like a pilgrim’s walking pole striking the steps.

Sweeping views of Lake Biwa are worth the hike alone, but as you reach the top of the mountain, the temple’s red roofs and three-storied pagoda will draw your eye. Its striking contrast to the varying shades of green in the forest behind it is awe-inspiring.

Along with the pagoda, the temple grounds contain a bell tower and a surprisingly large main hall to explore. Inside you’ll find an eleven-faced Kannon statue that’s believed to date back to the 12th century.

Every summer, Chomei-ji Temple becomes lush with hydrangeas, but it looks just as lovely—if not more so—blanketed in white snow during winter. Chomei-ji roughly translates to “long life temple.” According to legend, Takenouchi no Sukune, an ancient Japanese statesman, prayed at Chomei-ji for a long life. Then he carved his wish into a nearby willow tree.

Centuries later, prominent regent Prince Shotoku found the tree and made it into a Kannon statue before enshrining it in a temple he named Chomei-ji. Today, people pray at the temple for a long life just as Takenouchi no Sukune did, but the legends don’t stop there.
 

The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage

The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage is a route over 1,300 years old that stretches more than 2,400km across Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hyogo, and Shiga. It highlights 33 different temples of Kansai devoted to Kannon and multiple historic locations, several of which inspired the haiku poet Matsuo Basho.

Legend says in 718, a Buddhist monk of Hasedera Temple dreamed he had met Enma, the god of hell. Enma told him that hell was overflowing and he must make a Kannon pilgrimage to decrease the number of condemned souls. Thus, he set off to do just that, and one of his last stops was Chomei-ji Temple. Follow in his footsteps and add this temple as a stop on your trip to Shiga.

Address

Chomeijicho, Omihachiman, Shiga 523-0808, Japan

By train

The nearest station to Chomei-ji is Omihachiman Station on the JR Tokaido Line. It takes about an hour from Osaka or 30 minutes from Kyoto using the Special Rapid Service.

By bus

Take a bus from JR Omihachiman Station to the Chomei-ji bus stop. From there, it is about a 20-minute walk to the temple from the base of the mountain.