Mii-dera Temple

The head temple of Tendai-ji Monshū Secte. The official name is Nagarayama Onjū-ji. It was built as a temple related to the Ōtsu-Kyō in the 7th century, and founder Chishōdaishi Enchin restored the Tendai branch temple in the middle of the 8th century.
There is a miraculous spring (water well) in the precincts, which the Three Emperors, Tenji, Tenmu, Jitō used. That is why it is was called “Mii (water well)’s temple”, and became “Mii-dera Temple” afterwards. Starting with the National Treasure’s Main Temples, the fourteenth Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage’s temple, Kannon-Dō, Shakadō, Tō-in and others temples were build to line in a row. There are over 100 of such National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties.
The title Kokoku Ōmi, one of The Eight Views of Ōmi is also known as “Mii-dera’s Evening Bell”.