A Tower Gate Granted by the Lords of Okazaki
The Honkoji Temple Sanmon Gate (本光寺山門) is a two-storey tower gate rebuilt in 1827 at Honkoji in Kamiaono-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 2, 2007, under registration number 23-0250.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a timber tower gate with a tiled roof and a building area of 25 square metres, with wicket doors and side walls on either side. According to the temple, it was first built in the Genroku era with a donation from Mizuno Izumi-no-kami, lord of Okazaki, and rebuilt in 1827 by Honda Tadataka, lord of Okazaki.
Why It Was Registered
The gate was registered as a model of design. According to the Agency, it stands east of the main hall facing the street: a three-bay, single-passage tower gate with a hip-and-gable tiled roof. The lower storey is open at the sides; the upper storey has panelled doors at the centre front and back and lattice-fitted board walls elsewhere. Its bracketing is closely spaced projecting brackets, and the design is that of a standard tower gate, soundly executed.
The temple notes that ordinary Shin temples of the time were not permitted tower gates, so a two-storey gate donated by the lord marks the temple's standing.
What to Look For
Look for the triad in the upper storey. The Agency notes that a Shaka triad is enshrined inside, and the temple describes it as a distinctive Shin-sect Shaka triad donated by Mizuno Izumi-no-kami.
Note also the closely packed brackets and the panelled doors and latticed walls of the upper storey. The gate was extensively restored together with the main hall in 2019 and 2020 (Honkoji).
Visiting
According to Okazaki City, the gate's exterior can be viewed. The temple's history and contact details are on the Honkoji Temple (Okazaki) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Aichi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Honkoji Temple Sanmon Gate
- [ Nagoya Castle & Atsuta Shrine History Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Honkoji gate built?
- First in the Genroku era, and rebuilt in 1827 by Honda Tadataka, lord of Okazaki.
- When was it registered as a cultural property?
- On October 2, 2007, as registration number 23-0250.
- What style is the gate?
- A three-bay, single-passage tower gate with a hip-and-gable tiled roof, wicket doors and side walls.
- What is in the upper storey?
- A Shaka triad.
- Can I visit the gate?
- Its exterior can be viewed.
Basic Information
| Name | Honkoji Temple Sanmon Gate (本光寺山門) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Arai, Kamiaono-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture (Honkoji) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/10/2 (Heisei 19), registration no. 23-0250 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber tower gate, tiled roof, building area 25 square metres, with wicket doors and side walls |
| Owner | Honkoji |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable |
References
- 本光寺山門 (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006500
- Honkoji main hall and gate (Okazaki City)
- https://www.city.okazaki.lg.jp/1300/1304/1332/p021518.html
- About Honkoji (Honkoji official site)
- https://honkoji980.com/about/
Last verified: 2026.10.05
