Hogonji Temple

Hogonji Temple on Chikubujima is the oldest temple on Chikubujima, and its principal deity is the Great Benzaiten, one of the “Three Benzaiten Temples of Japan” along with Enoshima and Miyajima. It is the 30th temple of the 33 sacred sites of the 33 Kannon temples in the western part of Japan.

The main hall of Hogonji Temple is located at the top of a steep 165-step stone staircase. The steps are called “prayer stairs” and are believed to be the place where pilgrims walked while praying. From the top, a magnificent view of Lake Biwa can be seen.

In the main hall, Dai-benzaiten (Great Benzaiten) is enshrined. The Great Benzaiten is a hidden Buddha and is usually closed to the public. However, it is opened to the public once every 60 years, and the next time it will be opened to the public is in 2037.

The funarorou (boat passageway) in Hogonji Temple runs from the Tsukubusuma Shrine and was built using Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s throne ship. This funarorouji is designated as a National Important Cultural Property.

The Karamon gate standing at the entrance is also a national treasure, and was transferred from the Toyokuni mausoleum in Higashiyama, Kyoto.

The origin of Hogonji Temple dates back to the Nara Period. The temple was founded in 724 by the monk Gyoki at the behest of Emperor Shomu. It is said that the temple began when statues of the Four Heavenly Kings were enshrined in a small hall to pray for domestic peace and the protection of the nation.

The current main hall was rebuilt in 1942. In the main hall, visitors can also make a wish offering called “wishing dharma.

Hogonji Temple also houses a number of national treasures and important cultural properties.

Chikubu Island

This mysterious island of faith is located off the northern shore of Lake Biwa. Since ancient times, Asaihime-no-mikoto has been enshrined here and worshipped as a water goddess and as a deity that protects the safe passage of ships.

It is the second largest island in Lake Biwa, with a circumference of about 2 km. Although it is a small island, the island itself is made of one huge piece of granite.

Chikubushima is one of the eight scenic spots of Lake Biwa, and appears in the Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike) and in the Song of Songs as a beautiful island, and even after more than 1,000 years, its appearance continues to fascinate people. It is one of the most popular power spots in the Kansai region, and is visited by many people.

The Origin of Hogonji Temple on Chikubu Island

In 724, Emperor Shomu was told in a dream by Amaterasu that “there is a small island in the lake of Eshu, which is the sacred place of Benzaiten. If we build a temple there, it will lead to national peace, abundance of grain, and happiness of people.

Emperor Shomu dispatched the monk Gyoki as an imperial envoy and had him build a pagoda. Gyoki immediately enshrined a statue of Benzaiten in the main hall, and the following year he proposed the construction of a Kannon Hall.

Later, a statue of the thousand-armed, thousand-eyed Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) was enshrined in the hall by the great lord of the Asai clan. Since then, the temple has been visited by emperors and practitioners such as Dengyo Daishi and Kobo Daishi.

Highlights of the Main Hall of Hogonji Temple

It is the 30th temple of the 33 sacred places of the Kannon Sacred Shrine in the western part of Japan, which is still visited by many people today. The main hall enshrines the Great Benzaiten, one of the “Three Benzaiten of Japan” along with Enoshima Shrine and Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima.

A seated statue of Uga Benzaiten is also enshrined in the main hall, with a small Ugajin riding on the top of its head and decorated with a torii gate. The mural paintings in the inner sanctuary are by Kanpo Arai and are called “Morotenjin no Zu” and “Hiten no Zu.

Bensaiten, one of the Seven Deities of Good Fortune, has long been worshipped by the people. He is worshipped as a deity who protects people’s pure hearts and brings them “wealth, honor, and good fortune,” “the virtue of charm and matchmaking,” and “offspring.

Originally the god Sarasvati, the god of water in ancient Indian beliefs, was adopted as a guardian deity in Buddhism.

Water is believed to have the power to wash away dirt, and it came to be worshipped as a deity that protects those with pure hearts and minds, and as a guardian deity for ascetic practitioners.

Therefore, it is also widely worshipped as a guardian deity of the arts and commerce. The Great Benzaiten, which is a hidden Buddha, is opened only once every 60 years, and the next time it will be opened will be in 2037.

Dharma dolls wishing happiness to Bensaiten-sama

The seated statue of Bensaiten is surrounded by bright red colors. This dharma doll is Benten-sama with a cute face and a biwa in her hand.

Each one is hand painted, and each face and expression is unique. Just looking at the smiling face of Benten-sama, you can feel a sense of peace.

You can make a wish by finding a dharma you like and placing a piece of paper with your wish written on it inside the dharma and dedicating it. Dedication is popular because you will receive a cute strap amulet.

Access to the Main Hall of Hogonji Temple (Chikubu Island)

Chikubujima can be reached by regular ferry from Nagahama, Imazu, and Hikone ports. Free parking is available at each port. It takes about 30 minutes from Nagahama Port or Imazu Port to Chikubujima, and you can take a regular cruise called “Chikubujima Cruise” by Lake Biwa Kisen. The trip from Hikone Port to Chikubujima takes 40 minutes and is operated by Omi Marine.

Hogonji Temple is a temple of the Toyozan School of Shingon Buddhism located on Chikubujima Island in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture. Its mountain name is Gankonzan. The main deity is Dainenjaiten, and the Kannon Hall is the 30th of the 33 sacred places in the western part of the country.

Hogonji Temple is both a sacred site for the Sacred Goddess of Mercy and a holy place of worship of Benzaiten, and is considered one of the three great Benten temples in Japan (the other two being Daiganji Temple and Kinugamiyama Yoganji Temple).

Chikubushima is a small island at the northern end of Lake Biwa, with a circumference of about 2 kilometers and an area of about 0.14 square kilometers. The island is designated as a national historic site and a place of scenic beauty. Most of the steep cliffs are located on the southeast side of the island, and there is a boat landing area.

Besides Hogonji Temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine, there are a few souvenir stores, but the island is known as an island of faith.

Although Hogonji Temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine are now distinguished as a “temple” and a “shrine,” there is actually a history of Shintoism and Buddhism on the island prior to the separation of Shintoism and Buddhism in the early Meiji Period.

History

Hogonji Temple is a historic temple founded by the monk Gyoki in the Nara period (710-794). Gyoki, a native of Kawachi Province, was a monk who built many temples, devoted himself to social projects, and enjoyed broad support from the people.

Hogonji Temple is said to have been founded in the first year of Shinki (724), when Gyoki visited Chikubu Island together with the Tsukubusuma Shrine and enshrined the deity Great Benzaiten.

However, according to the “Chikubujima Engi,” Gyoki’s visit to the island is said to have begun in 738, when he built a small hall and enshrined the Four Heavenly Kings. In 753 (Tempyo Shoho 5), Naomayo Asai built and enshrined the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.

Initially called Hongyo-ji Temple and under the control of Todai-ji Temple, it became a Tendai temple in the early Heian period (around the 10th century) under the umbrella of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei. Thereafter, Chikubu Island became a place for Tendai monks to practice their asceticism.

The Tsukubusuma Shrine, located within the precincts of Hogonji Temple, was once a shrine in Asai-gun, Omi Province, and was dedicated to Princess Asai no Mikoto.

However, Asaihime-no-Mikoto was the clan deity of the Asai clan and was also revered as a water deity. Therefore, in the late Heian period (794-1185), she came to be equated with Benzaiten, and was eventually worshipped as Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto as well, and Hogonji Temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine became one in the progress of Shintoism and Buddhism.

The name of the temple and the name of the shrine became linked, and the temple was also called Chikubujima Daijinguji Temple or Chikubujima Gongen, and prospered as a center of worship of Kannon and Bensaiten (Goddess of Mercy). Later it was also called Hogonji Temple.

Since the Middle Ages, Hogonji suffered several fires, but was rebuilt each time. During the Edo period (1603-1867), the temple became a popular place of worship for Bensaiten (Goddess of Benzaiten) and the 33 sacred places of the Kannon Sacred Shrine in the western part of Japan.

In the Meiji era (1868-1912), the separation of Shinto and Buddhism was decreed, and Hogonji Temple faced a crisis, but the temple survived because of its insistence that the Great Benzaiten is a Buddha.

However, the temple and shrine were separated, and the religious facilities on Chikubu Island were divided into Hogonji Temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine. Today, although Hogonji Temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine are separate legal entities, the main hall and main shrine are connected by a corridor, and the two are closely connected.

In 1942, during the war, the current main hall was built and the Great Benzaiten was once again enshrined. In addition, the Karamon gate and Kannon-do hall were restored between 2013 and 2020. Restorations include re-thatching the roof, repairing carvings, repainting lacquer, and restoring metal fittings.

The following buildings and facilities are located on the temple grounds

Main Hall (Benzaitendo):
Located on a hill at the top of a stone stairway, this is the largest building of the temple and was newly constructed in 1942 in the Heian period style and enshrines a large statue of Benzaiten. The front and side murals, “Shotenjin no zu” and “Hiten no zu” are located in the hall.
Sanryudo (Important Cultural Property)
Five-story stone pagoda (Important Cultural Property): Built in the late Kamakura period.
Myone Tendo (Important Cultural Property)
Gyohirobo Tengu Hall
Mochi tree: Planted by Katagiri Katsumoto in Keicho 7.
Three-story pagoda: Located across from the main hall, this pagoda was rebuilt in 2000 and burned down in modern times.
Amebo Hall: This building enshrines Amebo Doji, a deity in the Ryobe Shinto tradition of Shinbutsu syncretism.
Treasure Hall: Built in 1977, this building displays treasures.
Kannon Bonjyunden: 33 statues of the Kannon are enshrined in this building, which are modeled after the principal images of the 33 sacred places of the Kannon Sacred Temple in the western part of the country.
Sigetsukan
Belfry (national treasure)
Karamon Gate (National Treasure):
It stands on the right side of the steep stone steps. It is connected to the Kannon Hall. This gate was moved from Toyokuni Mausoleum’s Karamon (Gokurakumon) by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1602, and is a gorgeous gate decorated with exquisite carvings and ornamental metal fittings in rich colors. It is a gorgeous gate decorated with exquisite carvings and ornamental metal fittings.
Kannon-do (Important Cultural Property):
This building was moved from Toyokuni-myo by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1602 (Keicho 7). It is the 30th temple of the 33 sacred places of the Kannon Sacred Shrine in the western part of Japan, and houses a standing image of the Senju Kannon, a hidden statue of Buddha from the Kamakura period (1185-1333). The building is built on a slope and supported by long pillars. The wood parts are lacquered, and the ceiling is decorated with chrysanthemum and paulownia patterns. Traces of relocation can be seen, and the opening of the secret Buddha image is usually held once every 60 years.
Watershed (low roof, Important Cultural Property):
This is a covered corridor connecting the Kannon Hall and the corridor (high roof). It was moved from Toyokuni-myo by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1602. It is said to have been built using lumber from the shipyard of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s ship “Nihonmaru,” and is commonly referred to as the “ship corridor.
The corridor (high roof, Important Cultural Property):
This covered corridor connects the low roof of the corridor to the main hall of Tsukubusuma Shrine. It was similarly moved by Toyotomi Hideyori, and lumber from the boat tower was used for the corridor.
Gomado
Gasshoin Temple
Zuishosui: A sacred spring dug in 2002.
Hombo (main temple)
Koryu-do (black dragon hall): This building was built in 1970 to worship the black dragon.