Mantokuji Temple (Inazawa)

Mantokuji Temple at a Glance

Mantokuji Temple (萬徳寺) in Nagano 3-chome, Inazawa City, Aichi Prefecture, has a Muromachi-period tahoto pagoda and a guardian shrine of 1530, each designated an Important Cultural Property: the pagoda in 1901 and the shrine in 1958. The Agency for Cultural Affairs writes the temple's name 萬徳寺 and the property names with the simplified 万徳寺.

According to the Agency, the guardian shrine stands north of the pagoda. Inazawa City reports that both were conserved with national subsidy between October 2019 and June 2020.

The Two Buildings

The pagoda is a three-bay tahoto with a cypress-bark roof; its date is unknown but it is accepted as Muromachi work (Inazawa City and the Agency). The city notes many similarities with the tahoto of Shokaiji in the same city and believes it was modelled on it.

The guardian shrine is a small one-bay nagare-style shrine with a cypress-bark roof, 1.8 metres by 1.5 metres, dated to 1530 by its ridge tablet (Inazawa City). The Agency notes that its bracket arms, beam ends and bracketing show the character of the late Muromachi period well.

Visiting

Inazawa City gives no information on conditions for viewing the pagoda and shrine, and the Inazawa tourism association's website restricts access from overseas, so its content could not be checked. Ask the temple before visiting. Enquiries about the cultural properties go to the cultural properties group of the Inazawa City Board of Education (0587-32-1443).