On Lake Biwa, in Shiga Prefecture, ascetic Buddhist monks at the remote Isaki-ji Temple walk a narrow wooden beam and leap seven meters into the water in a rite of passage that displays tradition and devotion. The temple is a branch of Kyoto’s Enryaku-ji Temple, the headquarters of Tendai Buddhism.
The monks finish a 100-day practice of walking routes along Mount Hiei called kaihogyo (circling the mountain), and, on Aug. 1, come to Isakiji Temple to celebrate the Sennichikai festival and perform isaki no saotobi (jumping from a beam at Isaki). They walk along a narrow beam, clasping their hands in prayer and leaping into Lake Biwa.
It’s an exciting spectacle of Japanese religion and culture. The tradition dates back over 1,000 years when monks would throw bowls into the lake in front of passing fishermen and dive into the water to collect donations.
Also known as Ikiya-san, this serene temple shares its mountain name with Chomei-ji Temple, one of the esteemed 33 temples in the Saigoku region. Surrounded by forests and water, legend says during the Nara period, En no Gyoja, the founder of Shugendo, discovered the site and chose it as his training ground.
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餓死鬼
Looks pretty awesome (and just a little scary)!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yUucDY6DHM
Hardly ever hear anyone talk about Shiga as a travel destination - just somewhere they pass through to get to somewhere else - which is a shame. I miss Shiga. First place I lived in in Japan was Ōmihachiman. Visited Chomei-ji a few times, the first couple of times by bus and the last by bike (I think cycling there was faster). Lots of steps up the mountain to climb before arriving at the beautiful temple. The atmosphere is very serene and there are great views of Lake Biwa. A nice getaway not too far from civilization.
I would love to go back someday and do some proper cycling around the lake.