In 1003, during the Heian period, Jakusho Hoshi, a monk from Mt. Hiei-zan who studied abroad in Tang, heard the following story from a monk in Mt. Wutai Shan while he stayed in Mt. Wutai Shan (China); a long time ago, Ashoka the Great of India prayed for the prosperity of Buddhism and distributed 84,000 stupa to the whole world, and two of them are in Japan, but one is under the Lake Biwa while the other is under the ground of Mt. Watarai-yama in Omi Province.
平安時代の長保3年（1003年）に唐に留学した比叡山の僧・寂照法師は、五台山(中国)に滞在中、五台山の僧から、「昔インドの阿育王が仏教隆盛を願って三千世界に撒布した8万4千基の仏舎利塔のうち、2基が日本に飛来しており、1基は琵琶湖の湖中に沈み、1基は近江国渡来山（わたらいやま）の土中にある」と聞いた。