Jakkoin Bentendo

Jakkō-in Bentendō: A Tiny Hexagonal Shrine of Love and Music in the Maple Temple of Owari

Tucked away in the wooded hills above the Kiso River in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, the Bentendō of Jakkō-in is one of the most intimate and unusual works of religious architecture you will find in Japan. Just three square meters in floor area and almost perfectly hexagonal in plan, this miniature wooden hall enshrines Benzaiten, the goddess of water, music, and romantic ties. Built around 1820 during the late Edo period, the Bentendō is now registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property, treasured for its rare geometric design and its quiet presence among the thousand maple trees that have made Jakkō-in famous as the "Maple Temple of Owari."

What Is the Jakkō-in Bentendō?

The Bentendō is a small devotional hall on the grounds of Jakkō-in, a temple of the Shingon Chizan school formally known as Tsugao-zan Hachiyō-rendaiji Jakkō-in. The hall stands at a higher elevation than the main worship hall, reached by a short climb up a stone path past stone Buddhas and ancient maples.

Why It Was Designated a Cultural Property

The Bentendō, together with the main hall, the Zuigūdō, and the Yakui-mon gate of Jakkō-in, was registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property on July 12, 2005. Hexagonal plans are uncommon among Japan's surviving Edo-period religious buildings, and even fewer combine that geometry with such tiny scale and refined detailing. The radiating ceiling structure, the use of latticework to divide outer offering space from inner sanctum, and the careful adaptation of standard Japanese carpentry to a six-sided footprint all give the hall outstanding architectural and historical value. Together with the Benzaiten image whose own dated inscription anchors the building to the early 19th century, the Bentendō offers a rare and well-documented example of late-Edo small-scale shrine architecture.

Highlights and Things to See

Visiting Information

Jakkō-in is open daily, with the precincts generally accessible from morning until late afternoon. There is no entrance fee for the temple grounds. Visitors should be aware that the path from the parking area to the main hall climbs some 320 stone steps; for those who prefer not to walk, a small "slope car" runs up the slope for a suggested donation. The Bentendō stands above the main hall, reached by a further short climb.

Around the Temple

Jakkō-in is set in the hills along the scenic Kiso River, only a short distance from the historic castle town of Inuyama. After visiting, walk along the river to enjoy views of the Tsugao gorge and seasonal cormorant fishing in summer. The town center is home to Inuyama Castle, one of Japan's twelve original surviving castles and a designated National Treasure. The nearby Meiji Mura open-air museum, the picturesque Urakuen tea garden with its National Treasure tea house Jo-an, and the Momotarō Shrine on the way to Jakkō-in all make for excellent additions to a day in Inuyama.