Ukimido Hall 浮御堂

The Ukimido has been a popular subject for artists over the centuries. The sight of wild geese descending over the pavilion at sunset is one of the Eight Views of Omi, a traditional selection of scenic views of Omi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture), famously painted by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858). The poet Matsuo Basho (1644–1694) visited the temple many times and wrote a haiku about seeing the moon over the hall. The poem is carved into a rock on the temple grounds.

Mangetsuji is thought to have been founded in the late Heian period (794–1185) and is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. The temple’s Kannondo Hall houses a statue of Kannon from the Heian period that is designated an Important Cultural Property. The hall’s ceiling has gold leaf alongside brightly colored images of flowers depicted as offerings to the bodhisattva.

Ukimido Hall is part of the Mangetsuji Zen temple and is one of the most scenic spots on Lake Biwa. The “floating pavilion” is a wooden structure at the end of a wooden bridge reinforced with concrete stilts leading out onto the lake. The hall, which appears to float on the water, was built by the priest Genshin (942–1017) to pray for safe travel on the lake. The Ukimido was severely damaged by a typhoon in 1934 but was rebuilt in 1937 and renovated in 1982.

Views of the Ukimido have inspired many artists. The sight of wild geese descending over the pavilion at sunset is one of the Eight Views of Omi, a traditional selection of scenic views of Omi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture), famously painted by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858). The poet Matsuo Basho (1644–1694) visited the temple many times and wrote a haiku about seeing the moon over the Ukimido.

Mangetsuji is thought to have been founded in the late Heian period (794–1185) and is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. The Kannondo Hall houses a statue of Kannon from the Heian period that is designated an Important Cultural Property.