Lake Biwa - Name

Name

The term of Biwako was established in the Edo Period. There are some theories about the origin of Biwako, but it was generally believed that a stringed instrument Biwa is related to Biwako. Kōsō, a learned monk of Enryaku-ji in the 14th century, referred to a clue of Biwako in his writing; "The lake is the Pure land of Benzaiten. Because she lives in the Chikubu Island and the shape of the lake is similar to Biwa, her favorite instrument."

The lake was formerly known as Awaumi (淡海?, Freshwater Sea) or Chikatsu Awaumi (近淡海?, Freshwater Sea Near Capital). Later Awaumi changed to modern Ōmi, an etymology of Ōmi Province. The lake is also called Nio no Umi (鳰の海?, "Little Grebe Lake") in literature.