The origin of Ukimido Hall

Nakamura Shigekichi was a resident of Katata and wrote Katata Monogatari (the story of Katata) in 1683. According to the story, how the Ukimido Hall was built is described as follows.

During Emperor Ichijo’s reign (986–1011), a high-ranking priest of Yokawa of Mt. Hiei, Eshin Sozu Genshin, was looking down in the direction of Katata from the mountain top and noticed a cape that looked like it was burning every rainy night. Genshin thought: “There in the land of Katata many fishermen are living. They make a living by killing fish, so there must be many souls that cannot rest in peace and are wondering around.” To save such souls, he carved lots of images of Buddha. He then built a temple on the lake to enshrine them. Genshin called this beautiful temple floating on Lake Biwa “Ukimido” which means a floating temple hall.