A Painted Coffered Ceiling under Deep Eaves
The Fumonji Temple Daishi Hall (普門寺大師堂) is a light three-bay hall with deep eaves under a pyramidal roof of 1854 in Unoyacho, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on August 6, 2025 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber hall with a copper roof and a building area of 36 square metres, altered in 1990; registration number 23-0611.
A Coffered Ceiling Painted with Plants
The Daishi Hall of Fumonji faces east north of the main hall; it is a three-bay hall with a pyramidal copper roof, a one-bay porch at the front and a veranda on three sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The brackets are flat three-part brackets and the eaves have two layers of close-set rafters.
Inside is a single room with an altar set before pillars at the centre back, under a coffered ceiling whose panels are painted with plants in vivid colours (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered the building as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the coffered ceiling painted with plants and the light form under deep eaves (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 hall built?
- In 1854 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is the roof like?
- Pyramidal, in copper.
- What marks the ceiling?
- Coffers painted with plants in vivid colours.
- Can it be visited?
- It is opened during the maple festival (Aichi Prefecture).
- When was the Fumonji Temple Daishi Hall registered?
- On August 6, 2025 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Fumonji Temple Daishi Hall (普門寺大師堂) |
|---|---|
| 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, 36 m² |
| Owner | Fumonji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Main hall and Daishi Hall opened during the autumn maple festival (Aichi Prefecture) |
References
- Fumonji Temple Daishi Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00015459
- Fumonji maple festival (Aichi Now, official Aichi Prefecture tourism site, Japanese)
- https://aichinow.pref.aichi.jp/spots/detail/1787/
Last verified: 2026.10.24
