A Temple on an Island in Lake Biwa
Chikubushima Hogonji Temple (竹生島宝厳寺) stands on Chikubushima, an island in the north of Lake Biwa within Hayazaki-cho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, and its karamon gate, built in 1603, is a National Treasure, its Kannon Hall, connecting corridors and late Kamakura stone five-story pagoda are Important Cultural Properties, and its main hall of 1942, the Benzaiten Hall, became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2025. The temple is also the 30th stop on the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage.
According to the temple's own history, it was founded by the monk Gyoki in 724: Emperor Shomu received a message in a dream from the sun goddess Amaterasu and sent Gyoki as his envoy to found halls on the island. The temple presents its principal image, the Great Benzaiten, as one of Japan's three great Benzaiten, alongside those of Enoshima and Miyajima, and the Kannon Hall enshrines a Thousand-Armed Kannon, according to the official site.
A Toyotomi Transfer and a Meiji Separation
The heart of the precinct, the karamon gate, Kannon Hall and corridors, all date from 1603 and were brought here from elsewhere. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that Toyotomi Hideyori, with Katagiri Katsumoto as commissioner, moved the gate here together with the Kannon Hall. The temple says they came from the Toyokuni Mausoleum in Higashiyama, Kyoto, and notes a strong theory that the gate began life as the Gokuraku Gate of Osaka Castle before passing through the mausoleum.
The Meiji period reshaped the island. Under the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, the temple was ordered in 1871 to close and become a shrine, it explains, but appeals from believers across the country saved it, and only its former main hall was handed over. That building is now the main sanctuary of Tsukubusuma Shrine. The Great Benzaiten remained in temporary quarters until the present main hall was built in 1942.
Layout and Designations
According to the temple, the karamon gate stands on the west side of the Kannon Hall, joined to it at the back. East of the Kannon Hall the corridors run on toward Tsukubusuma Shrine. Built on a slope, the Kannon Hall is partly raised on long posts beneath its floor in the kakezukuri manner. Gate, hall, corridor and shrine follow one another along the island's hillside.
The designations come in three entries. The karamon gate, Kannon Hall and corridors form one entry: the gate was protected in 1901 under earlier law and became a National Treasure in 1953, while the hall and corridors are Important Cultural Properties. The stone five-story pagoda of the late Kamakura period was designated in 1954. The main hall of 1942 was registered in 2025. The gate, hall and corridors underwent a conservation project from fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2019, completed in March 2020.
Visiting and Getting There
Chikubushima is reached by boat. The temple's website lists Biwako Kisen sailings from Nagahama and Imazu ports and Ohmi Marine sailings from Hikone port, taking about 25 to 40 minutes, with parking for roughly 30 to 100 cars at each port. Nagahama port is 10 minutes on foot from JR Nagahama Station, Imazu port 5 minutes on foot from JR Omi-Imazu Station, and Hikone port 5 minutes by taxi from JR Hikone Station.
Worship and temple seal hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., set to match the sightseeing boats. Landing on the island requires an entry fee separate from the boat fare; the temple refers enquiries about it to the Chikubushima support association, and Shiga Prefecture's tourism site gives ¥400 for adults and ¥300 for children, shared with Tsukubusuma Shrine. The treasure hall costs ¥300 for adults and ¥250 for children.
References
- 宝厳寺 唐門 (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1521
- 宝厳寺五重塔 (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1524
- 宝厳寺弁才天堂 (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015315
- Origins of Hogonji (Chikubushima Hogonji official site)
- https://www.chikubushima.jp/origin/
- Conservation of the karamon gate, Kannon Hall and corridors (Chikubushima Hogonji official site)
- https://www.chikubushima.jp/construction/
- Access (Chikubushima Hogonji official site)
- https://www.chikubushima.jp/access/
- 竹生島宝厳寺 (Biwako Visitors Bureau, Shiga Prefecture tourism)
- https://www.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/1311/
Last verified: 2026.10.03
Basic Information
| Name | Chikubushima Hogonji Temple |
|---|---|
| Location | Hayasakicho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Owner | Hogonji Temple |
| Designation | National Treasure (1) · Important Cultural Property (1) · Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (1) |
| Coordinates | 35.42114, 136.14342 |
