Shirahige Shrine Lake Torii
白鬚神社 湖中大鳥居35°16′ N 136°01′ ELakeside torii
Shirahige Shrine's red gate in Lake Biwa suits anyone riding or driving the west shore who will stop properly and look from the shrine's own deck, since the shrine warns that crossing Route 161 in front of it is very dangerous.
Photo Saigen Jiro · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 and others, credited in the gallery
Shirahige Shrine is an active shrine, the oldest grand shrine in Omi by its own account, and its main hall dates from a rebuilding that Toyotomi Hideyori ordered under his father's will. The shrine's gate stands in the lake on the other side of Route 161. A medicine wholesaler from Osaka, Konishi Kyubei, paid for the first lake gate in 1937, and the one you see now replaced it in 1981. Folding screens and the shrine's own picture scrolls show a gate in the water centuries before either.
The shrine and Takashima's tourism association both say the same thing about the road: don't cross it. Route 161 runs between the shrine and the shore, and the shrine calls crossing it very dangerous. Use the Oumi Shirahige-dai deck beside the shrine office, which the Takashima Rotary Club gave the shrine in December 2021. From there the whole gate sits in view with the lake behind it.
Come early if you can, because the shrine's own photo shows the sun rising through the gate. Treat the grounds as a place of worship and give way to anyone at the hall. The autumn grand festival on 5 and 6 September draws families from across Kansai and beyond for naruko-mairi, a naming rite for small children, and the shrine car park closes for festival stalls.
Worth knowing
- Never stop on the Route 161 shoulder for a photo; pull into the shrine car park and walk to the deck.
- From JR Omi-Takashima Station the shrine is about 3 km, roughly 40 minutes on foot or a short ride on a station rental bike.
- On festival days the shrine asks drivers to use the temporary Shirahige-hama car park about 1 km north.
Quick answers about Shirahige Shrine Lake Toriiよくある質問
Where should I photograph Shirahige Shrine's lake torii?
From the Oumi Shirahige-dai deck beside the shrine office. The shrine and Takashima's tourism association warn that crossing Route 161 in front of the shrine is very dangerous.
How old is the torii in the lake at Shirahige Shrine?
The first lake gate went up in 1937 and the current one replaced it in 1981, though old paintings show a gate in the water much earlier.
When is the best time to visit Shirahige Shrine Lake Torii?
Shirahige Shrine Lake Torii: Early morning; the shrine's own photo shows the sun rising through the gate.
Can you get to Shirahige Shrine Lake Torii by bike?
West-shore riders pass the shrine on Route 161. Get the bike well off the road and walk to the deck, and don't cross the highway.
Within 12 km
Places to eat and drink nearby食
Within 12 km
