Shiga, Japan May. 20 Mon 8:19AM
Home of the Marathon Monks
This Tendai monastery is located in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture. It overlooks Kyoto and is famous for being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto” category.
This temple was created by Dengyō Daishi – the individual responsible for introducing the Tendai sect of Mahayana Buddhism to Japan.
The temple is home to the marathon monks, known in Japanese as Kaihōgyō. These Buddhist monks practice asceticism, walking along Mount Hiei and offering prayers to various shrines and sacred places along their route. The marathon monks practice a very specific walking style – their heads level, shoulders relaxed, and nose in line with their belly buttons.
There are three main areas of buildings to the temple grounds, the most popular of which is Tō-dō. The other grounds are located a 20 minute walk and an hour and a half walk away from the Tō-dō site.
In 2006, Enryaku-ji was involved in a Yakuza (Japanese mafia) scandal. The temple performed a ceremony for former leaders of the Yamaguchigumi – the largest Yakuza organization in Japan. The Shiga Prefectural Police unsuccessfully requested that the temple shut down this ceremony. Finally, after reports were issued in various newspapers and the Japan Buddhist Temple Association led a movement against the Yakuza, all of the directors of the Enryaku-ji Temple resigned, and issued apologetic emails to 3,000 Tendai temples.
Enryaku-ji is now a place of deep history and tranquility. It is now a great – and very safe – place to visit for those headed to Kyoto or Shiga Prefecture! Head up early in the morning to avoid getting caught up in the large crowds of people visiting!