Enryakuji

Enryaku-ji is a Tendai Buddhist temple complex on Mount Hiei, north of Kyoto, in present-day Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It was founded in 788 by the monk Saichō (Dengyō Daishi) as the head temple of the Tendai school in Japan, serving as the spiritual and organizational center for Tendai practice.

The complex consists of numerous sub-temples and halls distributed across Mount Hiei, traditionally divided into two main sectors, Todo (East) and Saito (West). Key structures include the Konpon-dō (Main Hall), which long served as the temple’s central building, along with other historic halls and sub-temples that formed a vast monastic network.

Enryaku-ji played a central role in the Heian period as the locus of Tendai scholarship and spiritual authority, and its extensive monastic network contributed to the spread of Tendai and related practices across Japan. The temple influenced various Buddhist currents and provided a training ground for monks who would establish other lineages and temples throughout the country.

In 1571, during the Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga destroyed much of Enryaku-ji in a campaign against rival powers; the complex was subsequently rebuilt in the late 16th and 17th centuries under successive rulers and institutions.

Enryaku-ji was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, inscribed in 1994. Today, it remains an active religious center and a major cultural-historical site, drawing visitors for its history, architecture, and scenic mountain setting.