Gichū-ji Temple

Overview

Gichū-ji is an independent Tendai temple in the Baba district of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, with the mountain name Asahi-yama. Its principal image is Shō-Kannon Bosatsu. The entire precincts were designated a National Historic Site in 1967, and the temple is famed as a place connected with the late-Heian warlord Kiso Yoshinaka (Minamoto no Yoshinaka) and the Edo-period poet Matsuo Bashō.

Highlights

• ●A historic setting whose entire precincts are a National Historic Site
• ●The grave of Kiso Yoshinaka, source of the temple's name
• ●A literary site where the poet-sage Matsuo Bashō lies buried
• ●The quiet Asahi-yama grounds enshrining Shō-Kannon Bosatsu

History

The temple's name derives from Minamoto no Yoshinaka, known as Kiso Yoshinaka, and his grave is preserved within the grounds. The poet Matsuo Bashō, who revered Yoshinaka, was also buried here, so the temple came to be widely known as the resting place of both men. In 1967 its entire precincts were designated a National Historic Site, and it has been carefully preserved as a place where history and literature meet.

Map

35.0029, 135.8802 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Walk to Gichū-ji from a station around Zeze
2. 2Pay respects at the main hall before Shō-Kannon Bosatsu
3. 3Visit the graves of Kiso Yoshinaka and Matsuo Bashō
4. 4Trace the haiku monuments and savor the echoes of history and literature

Did you know?

💡 A striking feature of Gichū-ji is that two figures from utterly different ages and walks of life — the warlord Kiso Yoshinaka and the poet Matsuo Bashō — rest within the same precincts. Bashō is said to have spoken of his admiration for Yoshinaka in life, and by his own wish he was buried here.

Nearby spots