Teishoji Temple Main Hall

Teishoji Temple Main Hall at a Glance

The Teishoji Temple Main Hall (貞照寺本堂, Teishōji Hondō) is the central Buddhist hall of Teishoji Temple in Unuma Hoshakujicho, Kakamigahara City, Gifu Prefecture, built in 1933 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on 3 August 2006.

Its model was the former main hall, now the Shaka Hall, of Naritasan Shinshoji in Chiba Prefecture, the temple to which the founder, actress Kawakami Sadayakko, was devoted. The single-storey building has copper roofing and a building area of 251 square metres, and its Hinoki cypress timber frame is set on a raised reinforced concrete base.

The principal image is Fudō Myōō, the Immovable Wisdom King, carved according to the temple by the sculptor Ogawa Hanjiro. The flames of its halo are arranged in a circle, expressing a wish that people's hearts would soften and that society would stay "round", free of conflict.

Why the Teishoji Temple Main Hall Was Registered

The Teishoji Temple Main Hall was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that its framing and eaves follow orthodox construction throughout, and that its position on a raised reinforced concrete platform with a stage gives the hall a striking presence.

The temple likewise describes the combination of a concrete base and an all-cypress hall as a novel blend of Japanese and Western methods for its time. That pairing of traditional timber craft with modern concrete in a single building is what sets it apart among early Showa temple architecture.

What to Look for at the Teishoji Temple Main Hall

A Square Five-Bay Hall with Layered Gables

The hall measures 5 bays on each side, with the central bay wider than the others in both directions. The roof is Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable, with a triangular Chidori-hafu on the front and a curved Noki-karahafu over the Kōhai entrance canopy, all finished in copper with batten seams. The stacked triangle and curve on the front are the signature of the Teishoji Temple Main Hall.

A Raised Platform with a Stage

The timber hall stands on a raised reinforced concrete base that includes a stage, lifting it well above the surrounding ground. That platform is why the hall seems to float a level above everything else, from wherever you see it in the grounds.

Eight Carved Panels of Divine Protection

The sides and back are decorated with carvings of miracle stories. According to the temple, 8 carved panels surround the hall, each showing an episode in which Sadayakko believed Fudō had saved her: her adoptive mother's recovery from illness, for example, and the safe completion of the difficult Oi Dam project. A patron's own life story carved around the outside of the hall is what makes this building distinctive.

The preparatory drawings for the carvings are kept in the Sadayakko Engikan museum in the grounds. Walk all the way round the hall to follow the 8 panels in turn.

Visiting the Teishoji Temple Main Hall

During temple hours you can pray at the front of the Teishoji Temple Main Hall and walk around it to see the carvings on the sides and back. No fee is mentioned for visiting the hall. Published sources do not say whether visitors may enter the hall or take photographs, so ask the temple.

For the full front view, stand just inside the gate. The height of the platform and the layering of the roof are easier to read from a short distance away. Access and opening hours are on the Teishoji Temple page.