Shinobazu-no-Ike pond was famous for its lotus and a teahouse on the island served lotus rice. When a monk of high-rank, Tenkai, built the Kan'ei-ji Temple, he built a small island in the Shinobazu-no-Ike which was likened to the Biwa lake and later the Benten shrine was moved here. Initially the island was only accessible by boat however, a stone bridge was built in 1672 (the twelfth year of Kanbun) and the island also became accessible on foot.