On Thursday, July 24, 2025, during the "Shiga Day - Lake Biwa Summer Cruise" at the Expo, the "Eternal Dharma Lamp" - which has been burning continuously for 1,200 years at Enryaku-ji on Mt. Hiei - will be enshrined.

1200-Year Tradition of Mt. Hiei Enryaku-ji. A Research Report on the Enshrinement of the “Eternal Dharma Lamp” and the Melodic Chanting of Tendai-Shomyo

OSAKA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the first year of the Reiwa era (2019), on the occasion of commemorating the 1200th anniversary of the passing of the great teacher Saichō, the Saichō 1200-Year Charm Exchange Committee was established (Chairman: Shingo Torii, Vice Chairman and Representative Director of Suntory Holdings Ltd.).

On July 24, at the Shiga Day stage in the EXPO Hall—and at the Konpon Chudo (Main Hall) of Enryaku-ji Temple, a World Heritage site—Tendai Buddhist monks will specially enshrine the "1200-Year Eternal Dharma Lamp," which was originally lit 1200 years ago by Saichō and has burned continuously ever since.

For 1,200 years, this flame—passed down through generations—has been kindled in prayer for peace and tranquility, woven from one person to another. At the Osaka/Kansai Expo, under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives” it will symbolize the preciousness of life shared among people and serve as an offering of prayer for world peace.

About Eternal Dharma Lamp

In AD 788 (the 7th year of the Enryaku era), when the great teacher Saichō established Ichijō Shikan-in—the predecessor of the Konpon Chudo —he lit a lamp in front of the principal image of Yakushi Nyorai (the Medicine Buddha). Because this lamp has been kept burning continuously without ever being extinguished, it has come to be known as the " Eternal Dharma Lamp."