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Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
This temple was founded in 749 and the hondō (main hall) is the oldest building in Shiga Prefecture built 850 years ago. Inside the hondo, in the room on the right, is the "Genji Room" where it is believed Murasaki Shikibu wrote her famous book "Tale of Genji", considered to be the world's first novel. The temple precincts are quite large, with a 750 year old pagoda and Muyū-en Garden (無憂園) among other things. The pathway leading to the temple is lined with cherry trees, making it especially beautiful in the spring and autumn. For those traveling on the Saigoku 33 Kannon Temple Pilgrimage, Ishiyama-dera is number 13.
Ishiyama-dera (石山寺) is a Buddhist temple located in the Ishiyamadera neighborhood of the city of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It belongs to the Shingon-shu Tōji-ha sect of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon is a hibutsu image of Nyōirin Kannon. The temple's full name is Ishiko-san Ishiyama-dera .The temple is the 13th stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage route.
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建部大社
This was once the head shrine of Omi Province.
義仲寺
The burial place of famed haiku poet Matsuo Bashō, of Narrow Road to the Deep North fame. The temple is 300 m away from JR Zeze Station (膳所駅), one stop from Otsu on the JR Tokaido Line.
三井寺
近江神宮
An attractive shrine dedicated to Emperor Tenji as an imperial shrine. It has strong associations with the origins of the karuta game and it hosts the National Karuta Championships every year.
日吉大社
延暦寺
The head temple of Tendai Buddhism and a World Heritage Site located atop Mount Hiei.