What the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate is
The Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate (方広寺勅使門), at Hokoji in the Okuyama district of Inasa-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, was built in 1907 and entered the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 September 2019. It faces south from a stone platform that steps back in front of the Founder's Hall.
The gate is timber with a copper roof and a frontage of 4.1 metres. It is a four-legged gate, with earthen walls running forward to either side. In this form two subsidiary posts stand before and two behind the main posts, four in all, and the type is reserved for positions of standing at temples and shrines. Repairs followed in 1935.
Curved eaves on both faces
The roof is gabled and laid in copper, with a curved eave gable on the front and another on the back. Few gates carry one on the rear as well. The Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate presents the same face toward the Founder's Hall as it does toward the precinct.
Why the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate was registered
The criterion is contribution to the historic landscape of the country, and the number is 22-271.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs record says it gives weight to the frontage of the Founder's Hall. What is assessed is not the gate alone but the sequence of gate, wall and hall that together frames the place where the founder is enshrined.
The shape of the stone platform does real work. The front of the Founder's Hall steps back in a shallow recess, and the gate sits on that recessed portion. Pulling the gate back from the line of the wall creates a small forecourt and puts a pause in front of the hall.
In detail, the doors are panelled, the bracket sets are simple three-block units, and the gable carries a beam and a bottle-shaped strut flanked by carved scrolled panels. A frog-leg strut above the tie beam bears a chrysanthemum crest.
What to look for at the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate
Approach from the south and watch the line of the eaves. A curved eave gable lifts part of the eave into a shallow wave, so that against an otherwise straight gabled roof only the centre rises. Because the covering is sheet copper, the curved surface can be laid as a single skin.
Pass through and turn back: the same curve appears on the rear. With both faces matched, the gate never looks like a lesser structure from the Founder's Hall side.
Look also for the crest above the tie beam, the horizontal timber joining the heads of the main posts. The chrysanthemum is carved on the frog-leg strut that sits on it, and that crest together with the scrolled gable panels carries most of the ornament on the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate.
Visiting the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate
The gate stands before the Founder's Hall, and since that hall is normally closed, the gate is not necessarily open for passage either. Even when it is not, the whole front can be seen by looking up from below the stone platform.
That is the position to take: below the platform, facing north. The recessed stonework, the gate above it and the hall behind stack into one view.
The curve of the eaves reads better from a slight angle than from dead ahead. Photography is unrestricted. Directions and admission are covered on the Hokoji Temple page.
Q&A
- When was the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate built?
- In 1907, with repairs carried out in 1935.
- What is a four-legged gate?
- A gate with two subsidiary posts before and two behind the main posts, four in all. The type is used at positions of standing within temples and shrines.
- What should visitors look at in the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate?
- The curved eave gables on both the front and the rear, which few gates carry, and the chrysanthemum crest on the frog-leg strut above the tie beam.
- Can visitors walk through the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate?
- Not necessarily. The Founder's Hall behind it is normally closed, so the gate may not be open. The front can still be seen from below the stone platform.
- What cultural property status does the Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate hold?
- It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 September 2019, registration number 22-271, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
Basic Information
| Name | Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | 1577-1 Okuyama, Inasa-cho, Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration number 22-271 |
| Year Designated | Registered on 10 September 2019 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber structure, copper roof, frontage 4.1 metres, with earthen walls |
| Owner | Hokoji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Passage not always open; exterior visible from below the stone platform |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Hokoji Temple Imperial Envoy Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012921
- Daihonzan Hokoji: Grounds guide
- https://www.houkouji.or.jp/guide/
Last verified: 2026.09.17
