Renge-ji Temple

Overview

Renge-ji is a head temple of the Jodo (Pure Land) sect in Maibara, Shiga Prefecture. Its mountain name is Hachiyo-san. A distinctive feature is that it enshrines two principal images: Shaka Nyorai as the Buddha who sends the faithful onward, and Amida Nyorai as the Buddha who comes to welcome them into paradise. Counted among the 108 Sacred Sites of Lake Biwa, it is cherished as a temple where visitors can encounter the teachings of nenbutsu in a quiet valley east of the lake.

Highlights

• ●The rare pairing of a sending Shaka Nyorai and a welcoming Amida Nyorai
• ●The mountain name Hachiyo-san, likened to a lotus
• ●A pilgrimage stop among the 108 Sacred Sites of Lake Biwa
• ●The stillness of a Jodo head temple in an eastern-lake valley

History

Renge-ji has upheld the flame of the Dharma as a head temple of the Jodo sect. Its mountain name, Hachiyo-san, likens the temple to the eight petals of a lotus flower, resonating with the lotus that symbolizes Pure Land faith. Enshrining two principal images, the Shaka Nyorai of sending-forth and the Amida Nyorai of welcoming, gives sculptural form to the Pure Land view of rebirth: Shaka sends beings from this world, and Amida receives them on the other shore. Long a center of faith in Maibara, it has welcomed pilgrims as a temple of the 108 Sacred Sites of Lake Biwa. Please confirm the detailed history through official sources.

Map

35.3128, 136.3157 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Head to the valley temple by car or bus from Maibara Station
2. 2Pass through the gate into the grounds of Hachiyo-san
3. 3Offer prayers to the two images, Shaka and Amida Nyorai
4. 4Receive the pilgrimage seal and continue the Lake Biwa circuit

Did you know?

💡 Enshrining a pair of images for sending-forth and welcoming is rare nationwide, presenting in the very form of the principal images the Pure Land teaching that Shaka and Amida support rebirth from both the near and far shores. Visiting it as one stop on the 108 Sacred Sites of Lake Biwa deepens the sense of what that faith means.

Nearby spots