sekitou tera

Ishitoji Temple in Higashi-Omi, Shiga, is traditionally said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku in 605 CE following a divine revelation. The temple gained historical prominence in 1006 when the monk Jakusho, returning from Song dynasty China, reported that two of the 84,000 Buddhist relic pagodas dispersed by King Ashoka had reached Japan. Imperial investigation led to the excavation of a three-tiered stone pagoda, after which Emperor Ichijo designated the temple as an imperial prayer site. Belonging to the Tendai school, its principal image is the secret-Buddha Kannon. The grounds contain tens of thousands of stone pagodas and Buddha statues, including Japan's largest three-tiered stone pagoda (7.6 m, an Important Cultural Property). The Stone Pagoda Festival with lantern offerings is held each August.