A Late Muromachi Pagoda in Toyohashi
The East Kannonji Temple Tahoto Pagoda (東観音寺多宝塔, Higashi Kannonji tahoto) is a tahoto of around 1528 at Higashi Kannonji in Komatsubara-cho, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture; it was protected under earlier law on May 27, 1907, and became an Important Cultural Property under the current law. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a three-bay tahoto with a wooden-shingle roof.
According to the Toyohashi Tourism and Convention Association, the temple is said to have been founded in 733 by the monk Gyoki, who carved an image of the horse-headed Kannon after receiving an oracle from the Kumano shrine.
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The pagoda was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1907. The Agency dates it to around 1528, in the late Muromachi period: a three-bay tahoto roofed in wooden shingles. A late Muromachi pagoda of approximately known date surviving at an old Mikawa temple is the basis of its value.
A tahoto is a two-storey pagoda with a square lower storey, a rounded white collar and a circular upper storey, often built at esoteric Buddhist temples. Elsewhere in Aichi, the tahoto of Kannonji in Nagoya and of Mantokuji in Inazawa are also Muromachi pagodas designated as Important Cultural Properties.
What to Look For
Look at the shingle roofs, whose thin layered boards draw soft lines and give the double-eaved pagoda a light appearance.
On the first Horse day of the second lunar month the temple holds its Bato Kannon Ni-no-Uma festival, when owners of horses and cattle pray here; plant and goldfish markets draw large crowds (Toyohashi Tourism and Convention Association).
Visiting
According to the Toyohashi Tourism and Convention Association, the grounds are open to visit freely, without charge, and there is parking. It is 15 minutes by taxi from JR Futagawa Station. Higashi Kannonji is at 14 Tsubojiri, Komatsubara-cho, Toyohashi City (0532-21-1747).
Q&A
- When was the East Kannonji pagoda built?
- Around 1528, in the late Muromachi period, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- When was it designated an Important Cultural Property?
- It was protected under earlier law on May 27, 1907, and became an Important Cultural Property under the current law.
- What style is it?
- A three-bay tahoto with a wooden-shingle roof.
- What kind of temple is Higashi Kannonji?
- A temple said to have been founded by Gyoki in 733, known for its Bato Kannon festival in the second lunar month.
- How do I get there?
- 15 minutes by taxi from JR Futagawa Station; the grounds are free and there is parking.
Basic Information
| Name | East Kannonji Temple Tahoto Pagoda (東観音寺多宝塔) |
|---|---|
| Location | 14 Tsubojiri, Komatsubara-cho, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture (Higashi Kannonji) |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1907/5/27 (Meiji 40) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Three-bay tahoto, wooden-shingle roof |
| Owner | Higashi Kannonji |
| Public Access | Grounds open freely (free) |
References
- 東観音寺多宝塔 (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1194
- Higashi Kannonji (Toyohashi Tourism and Convention Association)
- https://www.honokuni.or.jp/toyohashi/spot/000051.html
Last verified: 2026.10.05