Sightseeing

Daishi-ji Temple

This little temple will be the first you'll visit when you come to Hikone.
Small in scale, Daishi-ji Temple is located just a five minute walk from Hikone Station, and is fondly referred to as "the Buddhist teacher in front of the station." The temple is famous for its statue of a reclining Buddhist figure--the only such image in Japan. Preserved within the head of this reclining figure are a small piece of the ashes of the bones of the Buddha, shared with Daishi-ji Temple by Kyoto's Todai-ji Temple. It is said that the wishes of pilgrim's will be answered here with a touch of the head or the body of this reclining figure, and a prayer of praise to the Mahavairocana Buddha.