Miidera Temple 三井寺

Miidera has been destroyed several times throughout its history but has always been rebuilt. Its 300-acre grounds include 40 significant buildings. There are 10 designated National Treasures and 42 Important Cultural Properties on the grounds.

One of the Important Cultural Properties is the Daimon (Great Gate), built in 1452 and moved to Miidera when the temple was reconstructed in 1601. The imposing two-story wooden gate has a traditional vaulted roof of hinoki cypress bark and features two Nio guardian statues that date back to 1457.

The vast, wooden main hall (kondo) was built in 1599 and is designated a National Treasure. In front of the main hall is the bell tower, another Important Cultural Property, built in 1602. It has a sweeping gabled roof and latticework, making it more decorative than a typical bell tower. In it hangs Miidera’s famous bell, which appears in one of the Eight Views of Omi, a traditional selection of scenic views of Omi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture) that became popular themes of poetry and art.

Among the most distinctive buildings on the grounds is the Muromachi-period (1336–1573) scripture storehouse. The Zen-style building features a rinzo, an octagonal set of shelves designed to hold sutras that was invented in China. Despite its size, the rinzo, filled with a complete set of sutras, can be rotated by a single monk. Many of Miidera’s other treasures are in the modern Cultural Property Storehouse, which displays sculptures dating back to the ninth century, scrolls signed by former shoguns, a series of 24 gold-foil-pressed sliding panels painted by Kano Mitsunobu (1565–1608), and more.

Miidera Temple is known for its scenic grounds with cherry blossoms in spring and for its sweeping views of central Otsu and Lake Biwa. The best vantage point is in front of the Kannondo Hall, which is on a plateau overlooking the lake. The hall is also one of the 33 stops on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage in the Kansai area of western Japan.

Miidera Temple was historically one of four key Buddhist temples responsible for the spiritual protection of Kyoto. It was founded in 672 by Prince Otomo Yota, son of Emperor Kobun (648–672), to mourn his late father. The temple has been destroyed several times throughout its history but has always been rebuilt. Its 300-acre grounds include 40 significant buildings. Some of these are among the 10 designated National Treasures and 42 Important Cultural Properties on the grounds. Many of Miidera’s treasures are housed in the modern Cultural Property Storehouse, including a series of 24 gold-foil-pressed panels.

One Important Cultural Property is the Daimon (Great Gate), built in 1452 and moved to Miidera when the temple was reconstructed in 1601. Other particularly noteworthy buildings are the bell tower with its sweeping gabled roof and the scripture storehouse with its traditional rotating octagonal library of sutras. Kannondo Hall, on a plateau overlooking Lake Biwa, offers sweeping views of the lake and central Otsu.