Mount Hiei Enryaku-ji Temple (Otsu)
比叡山延暦寺（大津市） · Shiga Prefecture · Otsu City
Sakamoto, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, on Mount Hiei, with the temple site on the Shiga side (the mountain straddles Shiga and Kyoto); divided into Todo, Saito and Yokawa precincts, covering about 1,700 hectares of forest.
Know before you go
- Red lines: do not enter halls in use for practice or make noise. Taboos: no photography where forbidden inside halls, and do not touch Buddhas or flame facilities. Good manners: the three precincts involve long walks, so plan within your strength and carry rubbish out. Common mistakes for outsiders: (1) assuming Enryaku-ji is inside Kyoto City and going to the wrong trailhead — the temple site is in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
- (2) visiting only Todo without realising Saito and Yokawa need separate bus rides and over half a day.
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
Enryaku-ji and Oda Nobunaga
In 1571, Oda Nobunaga’s forces attacked Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei and many buildings were destroyed. Much of what you see today was rebuilt later; distinguish the temple’s ancient origins from the age of its surviving structures.
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
founded in 788 by Saicho (Dengyo Daishi), head temple of the Tendai school, called the “mother mountain of Japanese Buddhism,” where founders of many later schools trained; at its peak it claimed three thousand subtemples; in 1571 Oda Nobunaga attacked Mount Hiei and most buildings were burned, then rebuilt with support from Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu and others; in 1994 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
Local customs
- (1) Worship at Todo's Konpon Chudo (根本中堂, National Treasure)
- (2) tour Saito's Ninaido (二堂) and Yokawa's Ganzan Daishido (元三大師堂)
- (3) ascend by Hieizan Cable (比叡山ケーブル) and Sakamoto Cable (坂本ケーブル)
- (4) look east over Lake Biwa (琵琶湖) and west over Kyoto
- (5) zazen (坐禅) and temple lodging, by reservation.
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- Red lines: do not enter halls in use for practice or make noise. Taboos: no photography where forbidden inside halls, and do not touch Buddhas or flame facilities. Good manners: the three precincts involve long walks, so plan within your strength and carry rubbish out. Common mistakes for outsiders: (1) assuming Enryaku-ji is inside Kyoto City and going to the wrong trailhead — the temple site is in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
- (2) visiting only Todo without realising Saito and Yokawa need separate bus rides and over half a day.
Locals appreciate DO
Please respect local residents, open areas, and on-site rules.
Plan your visit
Practical info
| Getting there | Intercity: JR Kosei Line to Hieizan-Sakamoto Station, then Sakamoto Cable; or by bus from Kyoto Station to Yase, then Hieizan Cable; shuttle buses link the three precincts. Tickets and payment: cable cars, buses and temple passes are priced separately, and IC-card coverage is limited — follow counters and the official site. Fare scales are several hundred to several thousand yen, as officially published. |
|---|
Travel tips
- All three precincts take most of a day
- cable cars may stop in winter, so check operating information before departure. Worship arrangements at Konpon Chudo may change during periodic major repairs, as officially published.
People
People & stories
Sources & verification notes
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