Mandaraji Temple Shodo (Main Hall)

A Hall Modelled on the Imperial Shishinden

The Mandaraji Temple Shodo (Main Hall) (曼陀羅寺正堂, Mandaraji shodo) is the main hall of Mandaraji in Maehibo-cho, Konan City, Aichi Prefecture, rebuilt in 1632 and designated an Important Cultural Property on June 18, 1957. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as 5 ken by 5 ken, a single storey under a hip-and-gable cypress-bark roof, with a porch of 1 ken and a cusped gable on the front eave.

According to Konan City, it is the heart of the temple, enshrining an Amida triad, and was built and donated by Hachisuka Iemasa, lord of Awa, who as a child had lived nearby with his father, Hachisuka Masakatsu, and studied at the subtemple Honseiin.

Why It Is an Important Cultural Property

The hall was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1957. According to the Agency, Mandaraji was founded at the request of Emperor Go-Daigo, and the main hall is said to have been modelled on the Shishinden of the imperial palace. Though the present building is a rebuilding of 1632, its plan and relatively simple structure reflect this origin, making it an interesting survival.

Konan City explains that its square plan of 5 ken, its hip-and-gable cypress-bark roof and its post layout imitate the Shishinden of the early Nanbokucho period, which was a major reason for its designation. The city also calls it a representative Jodo-sect main hall without parallel in the region.

What to Look For

Look for the chrysanthemum crests glinting gold on the ridge, which Konan City says give the hall the dignity of an imperially sponsored temple. The cusped gable and single-bay porch form the front of the hall.

According to the city, the hall was dismantled and repaired from 1959 to 1961 and re-roofed in 1984 and 2018. Its ridge tablet records the date of building and the posthumous Buddhist name of the donor, Hachisuka Iemasa.

Visiting

The temple's history, the wisteria festival and the park's location are on the Mandaraji Temple page. No official information on interior access was found.