Kongorinji Temple

One of the Three Temples East of Lake Biwa

The Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺, Kongorinji) is a Tendai temple at Matsuoji, Aisho Town, Echi District, Shiga Prefecture, whose main hall was designated a National Treasure in 1952; its three-storied pagoda and Niten gate are Important Cultural Properties and the garden of its head sub-temple, Myojuin, is a Place of Scenic Beauty.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it is said to have been founded by Gyoki (668 to 749) and made an esoteric temple by Ennin (794 to 864). With Saimyoji and Hyakusaiji it is one of the Koto Sanzan, the three temples east of the lake, all with similar layouts.

The temple explains that it flourished from the Kamakura to the Muromachi period, with over a hundred buildings at its height. It was attacked by Oda Nobunaga's forces, but the quick thinking of the abbot saved the main hall, pagoda and Niten gate.

The Main Hall, Pagoda and Niten Gate

According to the Agency, the main hall is a large hip-and-gable building seven bays square with Japanese-style bracketing and heavy timbers, fronted by top-hinged shutters across all seven bays; inside it is divided into inner and outer sanctuaries in the usual esoteric manner. An inscription on the altar fittings has been taken to date it to 1288, but its style suggests it may be as late as the early Muromachi period. The temple says it was built by Sasaki Yoritsuna, governor of Omi, to celebrate victory over the Mongol invasions.

The temple calls the pagoda Tairyuto and notes a record of 1246 in old documents. When designated, the Agency described only the lower two tiers as surviving; the temple reports that restoration was completed in autumn 1978.

The Niten gate was originally the ground floor of a two-storey gate, according to the Agency; the temple says it was built in the mid-Muromachi period and reduced to one storey in the mid-Edo period.

The Myojuin Garden

East of the shoin of the head sub-temple, Myojuin, lies a pond garden with three ponds linked by streams, which the Agency believes was made and remade from the mid to late Edo period.

The temple calls it one of the finest gardens in Omi, known for its blood-red autumn maples. It is described in detail on the Myojuin Garden page.

Visiting Kongorinji

Check visiting hours and fees on the temple's website.

By car it is 1 to 2 minutes from the Koto-Sanzan Smart IC on the Meishin Expressway. Enquiries: Kongorinji, 0749-37-3211.