Located offshore, the islet has a circumference of just over 2 km and is home to Hogonji Temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine. The main deities of Hogonji Temple are Benzaiten (Sarasvati) and Senju Kannon (Thousand-armed Goddess of Mercy), and Benzaiten is known as one of the three Benten in Japan, along with Miyajima and Eshima. Since the Middle Ages, Hogonji Temple has been visited by many pilgrims as the 30th temple of the 33 sacred places of the Kannon Sacred Shrine in the western part of Japan. The Karamon Gate of Hogonji Temple is considered the only remaining structure of Hideyoshi's Osaka Castle and is designated as a national treasure along with the main shrine of Tsukubusuma Shrine. Recently, the temple has attracted attention as the number one power spot on Lake Biwa and has been selected as one of the Eight Views of Lake Biwa as the "Chinkage of the Deep Green Chikubu Island.