About Daitsuji Temple
Daitsuji Temple (大通寺) is a branch temple of the Otani school of Shin Buddhism (Higashi Honganji) at Motohama-cho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, fondly called Nagahama Gobo, whose main hall of 1657 and early Edo great hall and Ganzanken and Rantei were designated Important Cultural Properties in 1915, and whose Ganzanken and Rantei gardens became a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 1934 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Biwako Visitors Bureau).
According to the Biwako Visitors Bureau, its formal name is Mugechisan Daitsuji; it began as a hall for spreading the teaching in northern Omi inside the old Nagahama Castle and later moved to its present site. Daitsuji kept close ties with the Ii family of Hikone throughout the Edo period and holds furnishings of Princess Sachiyo, seventh daughter of Ii Naosuke. It is owned by the Honganji Betsuin Daitsuji (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Four Properties
The main hall is a vast hip-and-gable hall, five bays across the front, nine at the back and eight deep, said in legend to be a hall of Fushimi Castle (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Nagahama City). The great hall, some 22 metres square under a hipped roof, is likewise said to come from Fushimi Castle (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Daitsuji). Each of the three buildings was designated an Important Cultural Property.
The Ganzanken is a guest hall with a stepped gabled roof and the Rantei a gabled study hall, with wall paintings attributed to Kano Sanraku, Kano Sansetsu and Maruyama Okyo. The Ganzanken garden is a dry landscape borrowing the view of Mount Ibuki, and the Rantei garden has an arched bridge over a small pond (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Biwako Visitors Bureau).
Visiting and Location
According to Daitsuji, the grounds are open from 8:00 to 17:00 and the halls from 10:00 to 16:30 (last entry 16:00; from 9:00 between February 1 and December 20, 2026). Admission to the halls is charged, cash only, and wheelchair visits to the halls must be booked in advance (0749-62-0054).
The address is 32-9 Motohama-cho, Nagahama City (telephone 0749-62-0054).
References
- Daitsuji Temple Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1401
- Daitsuji Temple Great Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1402
- Daitsuji Temple Ganzanken and Rantei (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1403
- Gardens of the Ganzanken and Rantei, Daitsuji (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/1572
- Daitsuji Main Hall (Nagahama City)
- https://www.city.nagahama.lg.jp/section/bunkazai/sitei/daituuzi/hondou.html
- Nagahama Betsuin Daitsuji (official website)
- https://www.daitsuji.or.jp/daitsuji/
- Daitsuji (Biwako Visitors Bureau)
- https://www.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/575/
Last verified: 2026.10.11
Basic Information
| Name | Daitsuji Temple (Nagahama Betsuin) |
|---|---|
| Location | 32-9 Motohama-cho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Owner | Honganji Betsuin Daitsuji (Otani school) |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (3) · Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, and Natural Monuments (1) |
| Coordinates | 35.38351, 136.26925 |
