Visits to Ishiyama Temple

During the Heian period [between the 9th and 12th centuries], visits to Ishiyama were popular among the nobles, and many female writers are also said to have visited Ishiyamadera Temple. They wrote about their visits and the days of confinement in Ishiyamadera Temple, and made lots of waka poems set in Ishiyama.
The mother of Fujiwara no Michitsuna, the author of Kagero Nikki (the Mayfly Diary), reportedly visited Ishiyamadera Temple on foot from Kyoto. Setting off at dawn, passing Osaka checking station and taking a boat from Uchidehama, she arrived at the temple in the evening.
The Illustrated Legend of Ishiyamadera shows that the daughter of Sugawara no Takasue, the author of Sarashina Nikki (the Sarashina Diary) also visited the temple.
It is said that the story ideas came to Murasaki Shikibu during her confinement in the temple, and she started writing The Tale of Genji.
At that time, visiting Ishiyamadera Temple far from Kyoto, enjoying the sight of Lake Biwa, is thought to have been a great pleasure for noble women.