Monsters, Musclemen, and Mountain Gods: A Shiga Excursion
A colorful cast of characters - both real and mythical - inhabit the temples and shrines at the eastern base of Mt. Hiei.
To the east of Kyoto lies one the Kansai region's best kept secrets: Shiga prefecture. Just a few minutes on the train gets you out of busy Kyoto city and into the Shiga countryside. Home to Japan's largest lake, there's lots to see in Shiga that you can't find anywhere else, and the prefecture is a perfect day trip destination from Kyoto for visitors who want to experience a different side of Japan without traveling too far.
Mt. Hiei, one of the tallest peaks in the region, straddles the border between the two prefectures. There are ways to ascend the mountain from both east and west, but I find the Shiga slope to be the more enjoyable for going up. Before starting your ascent, there are some beautiful and interesting spots in the eastern shadow of the huge mountain that should be visited.
After departing from the local train at Miidera Station, the first location you’ll hit as you walk towards the foothills is Mio Jinja. As soon as you approach this shrine, it's immediately clear what this shrines lucky animal is. Yes, this is the rabbit shrine! When you visit, make sure to purify your hands in the rabbit-shaped fountain and buy a ceramic rabbit with a paper fortune inside or a cute rabbit charm. For visitors collecting goshuin temple seals, this shrine has a very unique - and cute - stamp.
Just around the corner from the rabbit shrine is the entrance to Miidera Temple complex. This place is a massive hillside grouping of temples with tons of unique things to see. Personally, I think the quiet forested stairways and sweeping views are some of the best I've seen in the Kansai region.
The main hall at Miidera houses an impressively varied collection of wooden statues the likes of which I've never found anywhere else. Different artistic styles are on display, including a very rough "mountain priest" technique of carving minimalist/cubist figures out of wood. You’ll even encounter a few rare gods that aren’t usually depicted in physical form. Strange esoteric deities, heavenly star gods, and unique variations of popular guardian figures are all on display here.
Another unique treasure of Miidera is the Benkei Bell. This massive bronze bell played a central role in the legend of Benkei, a warrior monk who collected the weapons of the enemies he vanquished. Said to grow in strength with each addition to his collection, he was capable of inhuman feats of power. In a dispute between temples, Benkei supposedly singlehandedly carried the bell up Mt. Hiei (or thrown it down, depending on which version of the story you read). A number of famous ukiyoe (woodcut print) artworks depict Benkei lugging the bell behind him, his muscles straining and bursting from his priestly robes. How much of this legend is true is up to you to decide, but don’t judge to quickly because at Miidera they have the bell to prove it.
To the surprise of many visitors (Japanese as well as foreigners), the beautiful Miidera is home to two very strange monsters. There’s a red oni (ogre or goblin) with unruly teeth and tufts of hair growing at odd angles that you can see depicted at temples here. Several hundred years ago, this style of art used to be a very popular souvenir for travelers moving between Tokyo and Kyoto. Thia genre of folk art was seen as a cheap alternative to the professional and highbrow artwork from the capital, and the oni was the best seller. Depictions of this ogre dressed as a Buddhist priest are still seen all over southern Shiga Prefecture to this day. This was supposed to be a comical poke at the lax morality of some priests. They would go out begging for alms during the day, but who knows what they did with the money at night. Sometimes it’s hard not to become a demon when no one is looking. If even a priest can be corrupted, us regular fools better watch out as well!
There’s another famous monster connected with this temple who pops up in a few local folktales. Yokai are monsters from Japanese folklore, and one of the most famous creepy crawlies from Shiga is Tesso, a giant rat. He wasn't always so monstrous, though, and - regardless of if you believe this yokai is real or not - he is based on a real priest named Raigo who once lived at Miidera. Vowing revenge on an emperor who wronged him, Raigo returned after his death as a huge rodent named Tesso and led an army of rats up Mt. Hiei in a swarm of destruction. He gnawed on all the holy scriptures and squeaked orders to his minions to tear apart the robes of the priests and shred the religious paintings.
Nowadays, Tesso the rat is not as well known as he once was centuries ago. Most people walk right past the unique shrine dedicated to him on the hillside. It faces northwest, always keeping on eye on the peak of Mt. Hiei, still intent on destroying the valuable treasures kept there. On quiet moonlit nights, the priests say you can still hear Tesso scurrying across the temple's wooden floors and muttering about his plans for revenge (ok, I made that last part up).
Continuing on from Miidera with Mt. Hiei still looming above, a short train ride and walk brings you to Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine. This Shinto complex deep in the forest at the base of the mountain has been around since at least the 8th century, and it houses an important set of nature deities. The Shinto gods of Mt. Hiei used to live at the top of the peak, but as the Buddhist temples began to gain a foothold on the mountaintop, the gods were moved down to Hiyoshi Taisha in the foothills. In the late 1800s, when the Meiji emperor organized shrines into groupings supported by the government, this shrine was included in the top ranked group. The gods here had watched over Kyoto for centuries, securing a high rank in the Shinto pantheon and earning multiple yearly festivals to worship them.
There’s not just gods living here, though. Did you know that Japan has wild monkeys? Most tourists are shocked to hear this fact, but monkeys roam free through the mountains surrounding Kyoto and often come down into the edges of the city (mainly to pick through trashcans and make a mess). Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine recognizes these scavengers as messengers from the Shinto gods, and reveres them as holy animals. Depictions of monkeys can be found all over the shrine in both art and architecture. A careful eye will spot small wooden monkeys hiding under the eaves of the main gate. You may even see some real monkeys on the edge of the the woods as you walk through the shrine if you get lucky.
After visiting these beautiful temples and shrines, you’ll be ready to depart Shiga prefecture and ascend the mountain via the antique cable car that runs up the eastern slope. The views of the lake and the mountains beyond are unreal and have to be seen to be believed. But your day is just beginning! A huge selection of temples and shrines await at the top of the mountain, as well as magnificent cedar trees and charming paths through lush forest. The peak has its own menagerie of monsters and mythical creatures to keep an eye out for as you explore. This is a great daytrip from Kyoto and is perfect for anyone who appreciates nature, amazing views, and some interesting folk stories.