Miidera Temple

Miidera Temple, which is the head temple of the Tendai-jimon Buddhist sect, stands in Ohtsu City, Shiga Prefecture. The temple that spreads across a vast area of the slopes of Mount Nagarayama is officially named Nagarasan-onjoji.
The temple dates back to 672 when Prince Otomo-yota-no-oh built it to mourn the spirit of his father, and an imperial order issued by Emperor Tenmu renamed the temple Onjo. The sacred spring water of the temple was used for the first baths of the three emperors Tenchi, Tenmu, and Jito, giving the temple significant status and the nickname of "Mii-no-Tera". This roughly translates to "temple of the royal well". Although the kanji characters changed, the voicing of the temple named remained as it slowly morphed into "Miidera" ("temple of the three wells").
The temple boasts a vast collection of treasures that include 10 national treasures, such as the Kojo-in Kyakuden reception hall which is a leading example of sho-in tsukuri style architecture. There are also 52 important cultural assets including the tower of the Miidera Temple bell, which is one of eight scenic sites of Omi, or today's Shiga Prefecture.