Eigenji

EigenjiRinzai Zenautumn colourrakanHigashiomi

Shiga · Higashiomi

35.0941°N, 136.3232°E

Eigenji is the head temple of its own branch of Rinzai Zen, founded in 1361 in a bend of the Aichi river where the valley narrows, and it is the best known autumn temple in Shiga. The approach crosses a bridge over the gorge and climbs a flight of stone steps under maples that close overhead, and the peak in mid-November draws a volume of people the small valley road struggles with.

Outside those three weeks it is a working Zen monastery in a quiet river valley with almost nobody in it. The precinct holds a set of stone rakan figures on the slope above, carved in the eighteenth century and scattered among the trees rather than arranged, which are more interesting than the temple buildings and which most autumn visitors walk straight past.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM in November

Closed: Open year-round

Entrance Fee

¥500 adults | ¥600 adults in November | ¥200 junior high school students | Free for elementary school and under

Best Season

Mid-late November for autumn colour | May–early June for fresh maple with no crowds

Visit Duration

1.5–2 hours

Getting There

Access Information

Eigenji Takano-cho 41, Higashiomi City. About 35 minutes by bus from Yokaichi Station on the Ohmi Railway. Open 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, extended to 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM in November. Admission ¥500 adults, rising to ¥600 in November, ¥200 junior high school students, free for elementary school and under. The approach crosses a bridge and climbs stone steps. The valley road congests badly during the autumn peak.

Insider Guide

Premium

**Mid-November is peak and the road cannot take it.** The valley is narrow and there is one way in. Weekday mornings, or a bus from Yokaichi rather than a car. **Find the rakan figures.** Stone arhats from the eighteenth century, set among the trees on the slope above the main precinct rather than lined up. Almost every autumn visitor misses them. **Admission rises in November.** ¥500 for most of the year and ¥600 during the colour, with longer hours to match. **Any other season, it is empty.** A working Rinzai head temple in a river gorge. May and early June, with fresh maple and the river up, is the quiet alternative to November. **Eigenji dam is further up the valley.** The road continues to a reservoir and on over the pass into Mie, which is a good drive with no traffic outside the autumn weeks.

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