Following the footsteps of Prince Shotoku（聖徳太子の足跡を訪ねて）

聖徳太子の伝承が残る箕作山周辺の神社やお寺を外国人向けに説明したページです。

Kawarayaji Temple

Cultural Property Name

Kawarayaji Temple

Designation Status

Not yet designated

History and Significance

Located atop Mt. Mitsukuri. Affiliated with the Myoshinji branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. The principal object of veneration is a standing eleven-headed Kannon statue. Founded by Prince Shotoku in 593CE, the first year of the reign of Empress Suiko. The name Kawarayaji, literally “roofing tile dealer temple,” was given according to a tradition or legend that Prince Shotoku obtained tile nearby for the building of the Shitennoji Temple.

Joganji Temple

Cultural Property Name

Joganji Temple

Designation Status

Not yet designated

History and Significance

Joganji Temple is located at the foot of Mt.Akagami which also has Tarobo Aga Shrine on the side. The sect of the Buddhist temple is Tendai. The principle object of veneration is a seated statue of Bhaisajyaguru,the Buddha of healing and medhicine.It was made in the late Heian period,and it is Tnagible Cultural Property designated by Shiga Prefecture. A stone lantern stands at the left side of Main Hall.It was made in the Kamakura period,and City of Hgashiomi designated it as Tangible Cultural Property.

Tarobo Aga Shrine

Cultural Property Name

Tarobo Aga Shrine

Designation Status

Not yet designated

History and Significance

Tarobo Aga Shrine was founded some 1400 years ago when Prince Shotoku prayed at the site for national peace and universal happiness. The object of veneration is a “husband and wife” pair of rocks which are specimens of east Lake Biwa rhyolite, formed by volcanic activity about 70 million years ago. Tarobo is a name of a long nose gobrin. He is　a brother of Jirobo at Mt. Kurama in Kyoto.Tarobo Aga Shrine has been known since ancient times as a site for ascetic practice. People from the area pray at the shrine for winner’s luck.

Matsuo Shrine

Cultural Property Name

Matsuo Shrine

Designation Status

Not yet designated

History and Significance

Matuo shrine is the tutelary shrine of the Enmeizan Sonshoji Temple which was a branch temple of Kawarayaji. That refers to its role of preserving a copy of the Kokera Sutra, which was kept in the Main Hall and is now a Cultural Property of Shiga Prefecture. The shrine garden, a Cultural Property of Higashiomi City, is believed to date from the 14th century.

Ohmi Railway Shin-Yokaichi Station

Cultural Property Name

Ohmi Railway Shin-Yokaichi Station

Designation Status

Not yet designated

History and Significance

Built in 1922 and still in use, the station building is a familiar local symbol. With its original appearance unaltered, it feels almost like a movie set, and evokes the historic and cultural identity of the area.

Ichigami Shrine

Cultural Property Name

Ichigami Shrine

Designation Status

Not yet designated

History and Significance

The name Ichigami means “market deity.” The shrine possesses the ancient Ichigami Record, which states, “After Prince Shotoku had tiles for the Shitennoji Temple made at Kawarayaji, he　carved an image of the deity Kotoshironushi no Mikoto and enshrine it at the foot of Mt.Mitukuri, and opened a marketplace in the ninth year of the reign of Empress Suiko [601 CE] , instructing the people to trade equally with all persons irrespective of social rank or wealth.” There are statues of Prince Shotoku and Daikokuten, and a stele engraved with poems from the Man’yoshu on the shrine grounds.