Saikyoji Temple

Saikyoji Temple stands at the foot of Mt. Hiei overlooking Lake Biwa, closely tied to the priest Shinsei who established continuous recitation of the Amida Buddha's name here in the 15th century. Monks still take turns practicing this fudan nenbutsu in the main hall. The current structures date from after 1571, when warlord Oda Nobunaga burned the temple down, though his vassal Akechi Mitsuhide funded its early reconstruction. The zelkova-wood main hall, built in 1739 without nails, is an Important Cultural Property. The 17th-century garden incorporates a pond shaped like Lake Biwa.