Chōmei-ji

Chōmei-ji (長命寺) is a Buddhist temple located in the Chōmeiji neighborhood of the city of Ōmihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It belongs to the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon (primary image) is a statue of Senjū Kannon Bosatsu (Sahasrabhuja), the bodhisattva of 1000 arms. The temple's full name is Ikiya-san Chōmei-ji (綺耶山 長命寺). The temple is the 31st stop on the 33-temple Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage route. It is unique in that its honzon is a trinity of Senjū Kannon, Jūichimen Kannon Bosatsu and Shō-Kannon statues. The temple is located on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa, at an elevation of about 250 meters on the southwestern slope of Mount Chōmyōji, which is 333 meters above sea level. In the past, pilgrims would arrive at the temple by boat from Chikubushima Hōgon-ji the 30th temple of the pilgrimage, and disembark at the port at the foot of the mountain to visit. The dock at the foot of the mountain is also the entrance to the Chōmyōji River, a waterway to Azuchi, making it a key transportation hub. On April 24, 2015, the temple was designated a Japan Heritage Site as part of the "Lake Biwa and its Waterside Landscapes - A Water Heritage of Prayer and Life" project.