History / Culture / Tour Spots in Shiga Area

  • Kawara Museum
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    3.5
    46 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Shiga Omihachiman-shi Tagacho 738-2
    This museum, located in Taga-cho, Omihachiman City, contains exhibits on Hachiman roof tiles, a local industry which developed with the building of Hachimanyama Castle in 1585 by Toyotomi Hidetsugu. Here visitors can view gold leaf and eave-end roof tiles excavated from the ruins of Hidetsugu’s residence, decorative ridge-end gargoyle roof tiles and tile figures from the Edo period, and gargoyle roof tiles from studios and workshops situated along the Hachiman-bori Canal.

    Very expensive entry fee ($10 / 1,000 yen) to see some roof-tiles. If it was more friendly fee, I think you would have seen more visitors.

  • Onjo-ji (Mii-dera) Temple
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Otsushi Onjoujichou 246
    The Onjo-ji Temple is the head temple of the Tendaijimon Buddhist sect and is located in Otsu City. The temple is also known as one of the “Omi Hakkei” (Best 8 scenic spots in Omi) (Mii-no-Bansho lit. the temple’s evening bell). In the main temple structure which is a National Treasure, the principal image of Miroku Bosatsu (Maitreya Bodhisattva) is said to be enshrined, but since it is unconditionally a Buddhist image withheld from public view, it is not made public. Kannondo and Shakado, the stamp office for temple number 14 of Saigoku Sanjusansho Kannon Pilgrimage stand lined up within the temple, which possesses a great many National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. It is also a well-known spot for its autumnal leaves.
  • Ryotanji Temple
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    4.0
    36 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Hikoneshi Furusawachou 1104
    A Buddhist temple located in Furusawa-cho, Hikone City. The temple was founded in what is now Shizuoka Prefecture during the Nara period by the great priest Gyoki. The family temple of the Ii clan for generations, the temple was moved to Hikone when the general Ii Naomasa became the lord of Sawayama Castle. The temple is famous for its beautiful gardens. The temple holds a Daruma Festival each year on April 1 and 2; during the festival, 3,000 Daruma dolls are consecrated.

    I visited this temple in month of April so it appeared to be blessed with nature. Everything was go green and the cherry blossom in early April made it look surreal. Probably one kilometer away from...

  • Jorakuji Temple
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    4.5
    22 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Konanshi Nishitera 6-5-1
    A Buddhist temple located in Nishitera, Konan City. Together with the Zensuiji Temple and the Choju-ji, this temple is counted as one of the “Three Temples of Konan.” The main temple and three-tiered pagoda are designated National Treasures. During the “Konan Sanzan Koyo Meguri,” an event held from November through December, these three temples open up especially for visitors to enjoy the lovely seasonal fall foliage; the temples also open up especially for visitors with an advance reservation.

    滋賀県旅行の二日目は、「湖南三山紅葉めぐり」と「教林坊」を見学します。「湖南三山」とは、「常楽寺」、「長寿寺」そして「善水寺」の三つのお寺のことです。まずは、「常楽寺」に向かいます。「常楽寺」は歴史と由緒のあるお寺です。奈良時代中期の和銅年間に「良弁」が、「元明天皇」の勅命により開いたお寺です。「常楽寺」は、「阿星山五千坊」の中心であり、平安時代初期には「長寿寺」とともに歴代天皇の尊崇が厚かったと...

  • Otsu City Museum of History
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    3.5
    21 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Shiga Pref. Otsushi Goryouchou 2-2
    A museum located in Goryo-cho, Otsu City. The museum’s collection spans 82,000 items relating to the history and culture of Shiga and Omi, eight of which have been designated Important Cultural Properties. The museum has a standing exhibit which includes a model showing what the ancient capital of Otsu no Miya once looked like, displays covering the eight picturesque sights of Omi, and a chronology of the history of Omi City; the museum also holds special exhibits on themes such as Buddhist culture.

    京阪の大津市役所前駅から徒歩5分ほど。 1990年開館。入館料は330円。京阪電車の「びわ湖1日観光チケット」などを提示すると260円(団体料金)に割引となる。展示室は1階と2階にあり、大津の歴史・文化・産業について実物資料、ジオラマ・模型などを展示するとともにパネル解説が行われている。建物は山の中腹にあるため、エントランスや2階からは遠く琵琶湖を望むことができる。

  • Odani Castle Sengoku Historical Museum
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    3.5
    19 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Nagahamashi Odanigujouchou 139
    A museum located at the site of the Odani Castle Ruins, a National Historic Site, in Ibe Kohoku-cho, Nagahama City. The museum contains exhibits on the Azai clan, who ruled Omi during the Warring States period, as well as their castle, Odani Castle. The museum’s two exhibition rooms, dedicated to three generations of the Azai clan and Odani Castle, respectively, exhibit artefacts excavated from the site of the castle, portraits of relevant individuals, and materials on the structure of Odani Castle.

    日本百名城の一つである小谷城を訪問した際、夕方でお城に向かうのは時間が無かった為、こちらの資料館に足を運びました。 小谷城が背後に控えている場所にあります。 小谷城とその主だった浅井氏の歴史を丁寧に説明しているので、歴史好きの方にはオススメします。次回は、小谷城を歩いて廻った後、訪問してみたいと思います。

  • Soanji Temple
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    4.0
    36 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Hikoneshi Honmachi 2-3-7
    A Buddhist temple located in 2 Chome Hon-machi, Hikone City. The temple was moved here from Kozuke Province by Ii Naomasa, the first lord of Hikone. The temple’s principal object of worship is a figure of Amitabha believed to have belonged to Yodo-dono which was taken out of Osaka Castle during the summer siege on the fortress. The temple was also used to house a Korean delegation to Japan during the Edo period.

    夢京橋キャッスルロード沿いにあるお寺ですが、散策中に朱塗りの山門(通称赤門)や境内に咲くピンクの見事な八重桜が目に付き訪れました。そのお寺に徳川家康公の御位牌や、石田三成公の念持仏、そして、淀殿の念持仏が安置されていることなど、門前の案内板で初めて知りました。 更に、妻が帰宅して調べると、淀殿の念持仏が御本尊の阿弥陀如来であること、また、赤門は石田三成公の佐和山城から移築したことや、大坂夏の陣で討...

  • Kogenji Temple (Doganji Temple Kannondo)
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    4.5
    18 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Nagahamashi Takatsukichoudouganji 50
    A Buddhist temple located in Doganji Takatsuki-cho, Nagahama City. The temple enshrines an eleven faced figure of the Kanzeon Bodhisattva; one of only seven in the country to be designated a National Treasure, this figure is famously considered particularly beautiful among the seven. Numerous other figures of Kanzeon Bodhisattva, housed in other Kannondo temple halls, can be found in the surrounding area, and during the Kannon no Sato Furusato Festival held in October, all of these halls make their figures viewable to the general public at the same time.

    The isthmus between Wakasa Bay and Ise Bay is the narrowest and, accordingly, the lowest part of Honshu Island. The Fukasaka Pass between Wakasa Bay and lake Biwa has only the altitude of 370 meters...

  • William Merrell Vories Library
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    4.0
    17 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Oumihachimanshi Jionjichou Moto 11
    A memorial museum located in Moto Jionji-cho, Omihachiman City. The museum operates out of the former home of Merrell Vories Hitotsuyanagi, the founder of the Omi Brotherhood, Ltd. company and first honorary citizen of Omihachiman City. Hitotsuyanagi also contributed greatly to the development of the area through social work and facility construction, including building churches and founding what is now Vories Gakuen and Vories Memorial Hospital. The museum preserves and displays items which belonged to Hitotsuyanagi and contains exhibits on the man.

    建築家ヴォーリスの住んでいた家を記念館にしたもの。電話で予約をして、入ることが出来た。ヴォーリスを紹介するビデオを見て、建物の設計図などを見ることが出来る。キリスト教の宣教のために日本に来た、その精神に触れることが出来る。

  • Umoreginoya
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    3.5
    35 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Hikoneshi Osuechou 1-11
    A historic building located close to Hikone Castle in Osue-cho, Hikone City. Ii Naosuke, chief minister during the closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate, spent here for 15 years from his teens to his 30s, engaging in study and training in martial arts. Naosuke named the building “Umoreginoya,” which translates to “Buried Tree Hut,” and composed a poem about it, as well: “Even though/I live the cold life/of a hermit/like a tree buried in the earth/I am not yet buried.”

    彦根藩第11代藩主井伊直中の嫡子ではなく14男として生まれたがために、藩主の座には程遠く大名家への養子縁組もまとまらない井伊直弼が、17歳から32歳までの不遇時代を過ごした屋敷跡です。 屋敷の名は、輝かしい将来が望めない己の身を、地中に埋没したまま日の目を見ずに生きる樹木「埋もれ木」に喩えて詠んだ和歌に因む直弼自身の命名。 彦根城中堀に面する一角に、直弼のような所謂部屋住み用の控え屋敷として創建さ...

  • Shakudoji Temple
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    4.5
    27 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Nagahamashi Kinomotochouishimichi 419
    A Buddhist temple located in Ishimichi Kinomoto-cho, Nagahama City. The temple’s principal object of worship, an 11 headed Kanzeon Bodhisattva, is recorded to have been made in the distant Heian period and has been designated a National Important Cultural Property. In October each year, the Kannon no Sato Furusato Festival is held, during which time area temples, including this one, all unveil their normally hidden statues of Kannon to the general public.

    間近に鑑賞することが出来ます。 カイトフック等に 唇の朱が残っていることの記述が多くありますが、それ以上に 衣等にも 彩色が残り 更に 右側の親指がわずかに上がり 一歩 今にも 踏み出す様子を見逃さないことお薦めします(堂内は 写真撮影禁止なので 写真にて 紹介出来ず)。 なお 近くにある[己高閣・世代閣]は 7月19日参拝時 新型コロナ感染予防の影響で 仏像の拝観不可となっておりました。

  • Mikami-jinja Shrine
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    4.0
    16 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Yasushi Mikami 838
    A Shinto shrine situated along National Route 8 in Mikami, Yasu City. The shrine is dedicated to Ame-no-Mikage-no-Kami, who is said to have descended to Mt. Mikami during the reign of Emperor Korei, the seventh emperor of Japan. The shrine’s main shrine building, estimated to have been built in the late Kamakura period, has been designated a National Treasure.

    御上神社は、平安時代に編さんされた神名帳「延喜式」に掲載されている神社で、いわゆる式内社(名神大社)です。国道8号線沿い、近江富士の別名で知られる三上山の麓に鎮座しています。第七代...

  • Aburahi-jinja Shrine
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    4.5
    16 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Koukashi Koukachouaburahi 1042
    A Shinto shrine located at the foot of Mt. Aburahidake in Aburahi Koka-cho, Koka City. Just when the shrine was founded is not clear, but descriptions of the shrine can be found in documents dating all the way back to the Heian period. In ancient times, Mt. Aburahidake was viewed as a sacred mountain, and even today a rear shrine can be found at its peak. In medieval times, this shrine was considered the protective shrine of Koka and was frequented by the samurai of Koka. The shrine is also known as the patron shrine of oils.

    車で油日神社(あぶらひじんじゃ)に向かう。 油日神社は、滋賀県甲賀市甲賀町油日(しがけんこうかしこうかちょうあぶらひ)にある神社だ。 祭神は、油日大神(あぶらひのおおかみ) 「甲賀の総社」として、また勝軍神として武士の崇敬を受け、社名から油の火の神としても信仰された。 駐車場はわりと広い。 奴振りは県選択無形民俗文化財になっている。 由緒書きは消えてしまっている。 新しい由緒書き。 877年に...

  • Hyakusaiji Temple
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    4.5
    7 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Higashioumishi Hyakusaijichou 323
    A Buddhist temple located in Hyakusaiji-cho, Higashiomi City. Founded by Prince Shotoku in 606, it is the oldest temple in Omi and has been designated a National Historic Site. The temple’s principal object of worship is an eleven headed figure of the Kanzeon Bodhisattva which is also known as the “Garden Tree Kannon.” Together with the Saimyoji Temple and KONGOURINJI-Temple, it is counted as one of the Three Temples of Koto.

    ツアーで訪問しました。お参りの後見学しました。百済寺本坊の喜見院の横に広がる庭園で、山を借景に池と大岩を配した池泉回遊式庭園です。「天下遠望の名園」で、本坊から見る庭園は紅葉が大変美しかったです。庭園内の道を通り、少し上った所にある遠望台から見る庭園も美しく、また遠望台からは遠く琵琶湖や比叡山まで展望できます。

  • Ritto Performing Arts Center Sakira
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    3.5
    5 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Rittoushi Heso 2-1-28
    This performing arts center in Ritto City, Shiga Prefecture hosts a variety of performances, lectures, exhibitions, and other events. Some of its facilities include large, medium, and small concert halls as well as an exhibition room, a rehearsal room, and a music studio. In addition to hosting various special exhibits, the exhibition room serves as a place for the creative activities of local residents.

    JR栗東駅から歩いて5分ほどの場所にある会館です。ホールに入るまでの外のエントランスも開放的で広く、綺麗です。

  • Zuiryuji Temple (Honzan Murakumo Imperial Palace)
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    3.5
    25 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Oumihachimanshi Miyauchichou 19-9
    A Buddhist temple located at the summit of Mt. Hachiman in Miyauchi-cho, Omihachiman City. The temple was built by mighty samurai lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, older sister of the mighty samurai lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to serve as a burial site for her son, the samurai lord Toyotomi Hidetsugu, after he was ordered to commit suicide by Hideyoshi. The temple was later moved to its current location. Each year in June the temple holds the Hachimanyama Jizo Festival.

    This temple is on the top of Mt. Hachiman at the remain of Hachiman castle. Feature of this temple is it’s composition, when moved from Kyoto 60 years ago, it’s necessary to reduce one third but not...

  • Tachiki-jinja Shrine
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    3.5
    24 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Kusatsushi Kusatsu 4-1-3
    A Shinto shrine situated along Prefectural Route 141 in Kusatsu, Kusatsu City. Founded in 767, the shrine is dedicated to Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto. After the shogun general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro prayed here for protection from misfortune during his subjugation of the northeast and gifted a figure of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra to the shrine, the shrine came to be seen as providing worshippers with protection from evil and traffic safety.

    草津にある歴史ある神社。旧東海道ぞいにあり、草津駅前から旧東海道を歩いて20分ほど。1250年以上の歴史があるとのことで、境内も広く、社殿も立派です。参勤交代の際、諸大名がこの神社で道中安全の祈願をされたそうです。

  • Former Ban Family Residence (Hachiman Kyoiku Kaikan Public Interest Foundation)
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    4.0
    22 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Omihachiman-shi Shinmachi 3-15
    A historic building located in Shin-machi, Omihachiman City. The residence was built by Ban Shoemon the seventh, a Hachiman merchant active during the Edo period. In the Meiji period, the residence was given to the local government, after which it was used as a school, town hall, and library.

    市営駐車場近くで最初に目に付く旧家でした。他の旧家、資料館とのセットの入場券がありましたのでここで購入しました。元々は近江商人の家で商売は中断したようですが、その後は学校として使われた一般家屋としてはかなりの大きさです。五月人形、武者人形の展示がおこなわれていました。はいってすぐの高い天井が印象に残りました。スタッフから解説も受けることができました。

  • Tenneiji Temple (500 Arhats)
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    4.0
    20 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Hikoneshi Satonechou 232
    A Buddhist temple located in Satone-cho, Hikone City. The temple was built by Ii Naonaka, then lord of Hikone Domain. The temple is famous for its 500 arhat figures carved by the renowned Komai Choun. It is said that those who stand in the arhat hall and gaze at the 500 figures arrayed side by side are sure to find one whose face seems to be looking into their very soul.

    彦根インター近くにあり、車で行くのが良い。ここの五百羅漢はすべてがそろっており、圧巻。一見の価値あり。

  • Eigenji Temple
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    3.5
    7 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Shiga Pref. Higashioumishi Eigenjitakanochou 41
    A Buddhist temple located in Eigenji Takano-cho, Higashiomi City. The temple was founded by the monk Jakushitsu Genko after Sasaki Ujiyori, the military commission of Omi, donated the land in 1361 during the Nanboku-cho period. The temple’s principal object of worship, a “hidden Buddha” figure depicting the Kanzeon Bodhisattva, is displayed to the general public only once every 25 years or so. The temple’s grounds are also a renowned destination for fall foliage viewing.

    五色幕がカラフルな本堂に比べて、ちょっと目立たないが、なかなか立派な鐘楼。ただし、火災のため何度も再建されているらしい。

Shiga Areas

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Visitors to Shiga prefecture are almost always hopping east across the prefectural border from Kyoto, and they are almost certainly Lake Biwa-bound. Covering an area of 670 square kilometers, Lake Biwa makes up the bulk of Shiga prefecture, with beautiful lakeside paths that offer myriad walking and cycling opportunities, connecting a string of museums, shrines, and picturesque views that finally lead you to Hikone Castle on the eastern side of the lake.

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