Mt. Dainichi and Chichi no Ike Pond

According to the legend, once upon a time, Chikubu Islands in the north of the lake were formed by three islands, and one of them entered from Lake Biwa to River Seta, drifted ashore and formed the land which is Mt. Dainichi. The name Dainichi derived from that Gyoki, a monk, in the Nara Period [in the 8th century], regarded the whole mountain as the figure of Dainichi Nyorai, and carved the Dainich Nyorai’s head onto a natural stone at the top of the mountain. At the entrance of the mountain, the road sign saying “built in 1915” guides visitors to Dainichi Temple on the summit. Although the mountain is the lowest mountain in Shiga Prefecture, it is known as a historically important mountain, as there are many burial mounds near the summit. There is also a two-squared-meter small pond called Chichi no Ike on the south mountainside. The pond never dries up during summer drought so that it is said to work for mothers with difficulty in producing breastmilk by visiting Dainichiji Temple and taking its water back home.