Gichu-ji Temple

Highlights & Introduction

Gichu-ji Temple – A Temple Connected to Kiso Yoshinaka and Matsuo Basho –

【Highlights】
・A nationally designated Historic Site, home to the graves of Kiso Yoshinaka and Matsuo Basho.
・Stone monuments inscribed with haiku connected to Matsuo Basho, scattered throughout the temple grounds.

【History and Culture】
Gichu-ji Temple is known as the resting place of Kiso Yoshinaka (Minamoto no Yoshinaka), the warrior whose name inspired the temple’s own. Yoshinaka died a dramatic death in battle at Awazu-ga-hara, and the temple is said to have begun when Tomoe Gozen built a small hermitage near his grave to pray for his soul.

During the Edo period, the haiku poet Matsuo Basho visited this site many times, and is said to have held haiku gatherings and moon-viewing parties with his disciples. Basho, who deeply admired Yoshinaka, was buried at Gichu-ji Temple according to his final wishes.

The temple grounds contain Yoshinaka’s grave, Basho’s grave, Okina-do Hall, and various haiku monuments. As a place where the legacies of the warrior Kiso Yoshinaka, the poet Matsuo Basho, and the legend of Tomoe Gozen converge, the entire grounds of Gichu-ji Temple have been designated a National Historic Site. It is a temple where you can quietly trace the history of the Genpei War and the lingering echoes of haiku literature.

Sources & References： "Gichu-ji Temple" Otsu City Museum of History Official Website/"Matsuo Basho" Basho's Master Memorial Society/"Otsu and Basho" Otsu City Hall/"Gichu-ji Temple and Chomu" Gichu-ji Temple Historical Site Preservation Society/"Asahi Shogun Kiso Yoshinaka" Hiyoshi-mura Village

Editor-in-chief：Gichu-ji Temple

Access

Address

1-chōme-5-12 Banba, Otsu, Shiga 520-0802, Japan

By car: Approx. 5 min by car from the Meishin Expressway Otsu IC
By train: Approx. 7 min walk from JR Biwako Line Zeze Station or Keihan Railway Zeze Station

View on Google Maps

Access from Kyoto

From Kyoto Station:
Approx. 18 min by train
Approx. 40 min by car

Check the route on Google Maps from the link below.

From Kyoto Station

Access from nearby airports

Check the route on Google Maps from the link below.

From Itami Airport From Kansai International Airport

Local Information

Basic Information

Business Hours: Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Closed: Mondays (If Monday is a national holiday, the temple remains open and closes the following day)
Price: 300 yen
Parking Lot: Unavailable
Contact Information: Phone number: 077-523-2811