A Shingon Hall on Mount Funagata
The Fumonji Temple Main Hall (普門寺本堂) is a five-bay Shingon main hall with local features of 1693 in Unoyacho, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 6, 2025 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
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The Agency records a single-storey timber hall with a copper roof and a building area of 112 square metres, altered in 1956 and 1999; registration number 23-0610.
Outer, Inner and Rear Sanctuaries
The main hall of Fumonji faces east on the west side of the precinct; it is a five-bay hall with a hipped copper roof, its front two bays forming the outer sanctuary, the next two the inner sanctuary and the last bay a rear sanctuary, with the altar at the back of the inner sanctuary (Agency for Cultural Affairs). In the outer sanctuary a three-bay curved head beam is tied to the side pillars by curved "shrimp" beams, a framing with local character.
Fumonji is a Shingon temple on the south-eastern slope of Mount Funagata (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Aichi Prefecture tourism site says it was founded by the monk Gyoki at the wish of Emperor Shomu and is known as the maple temple of Toyohashi.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the building as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the curved head beam of the outer sanctuary and the "shrimp" beams tying it to the side pillars (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Fumonji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Aichi Prefecture tourism site, the main hall and Daishi Hall are opened from 9:00 to 15:45 during the maple festival from late November to early December, for 700 yen (free for those aged 17 and under). It is about 45 minutes by car from Toyokawa IC on the Tomei Expressway or 15 minutes by taxi from JR Futagawa Station, with free parking for 200 cars. The six registered buildings are introduced together on the Fumonji Temple page.
Q&A
- When was the main hall built?
- In 1693 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What school is the temple?
- Shingon.
- How is it laid out?
- Outer, inner and rear sanctuaries.
- Can it be visited?
- It is opened during the autumn maple festival (Aichi Prefecture).
- When was the Fumonji Temple Main Hall registered?
- On August 6, 2025 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Fumonji Temple Main Hall (普門寺本堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7 Unoyacho, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2025/08/06 (Reiwa 7) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, copper roof, 112 m² |
| Owner | Fumonji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Main hall and Daishi Hall opened during the autumn maple festival (Aichi Prefecture) |
References
- Fumonji Temple Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00015458
- Fumonji maple festival (Aichi Now, official Aichi Prefecture tourism site, Japanese)
- https://aichinow.pref.aichi.jp/spots/detail/1787/
Last verified: 2026.10.24
