Daihoji Temple Main Hall

The Oldest Wooden Building in Ehime

The Daihoji Temple Main Hall (大宝寺本堂) is the early Kamakura main hall of Daihoji in Minamiedo, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, which in 1953 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey hipped hall three bays by four with a traditional tile roof; Matsuyama City notes that a shrine cabinet and a ridge tag are designated with it.

Matsuyama City explains that Daihoji, of the Buzan branch of Shingon, is said to have been founded by Ochi no Tamaoki in the Taiho era (701 to 704).

Structure

According to Matsuyama City, it is in Japanese style with round posts throughout and no bracket sets, only simple boat-shaped arms at the four corners. Because the rafter spacing varies from bay to bay, it is thought to be an early Kamakura building using the late Heian Amida hall form. The roof, originally thatched, seems to have been tiled during repairs in 1745.

Inside, four posts stand out of line with the outer posts, and the bays follow a regular scale with a shaku of 0.3090 metres. This scale, the Matashiro shaku, was thought to have appeared only in the mid-Edo period, so its use here has drawn attention.

What to Look For

The designation text notes that the round posts with corner arms and gently pitched eaves show the period well, and that in Shikoku it is second in age only to the Yakushido of Buraku-ji in Kochi. Matsuyama City values it as simple yet well-proportioned and the oldest wooden building in the prefecture.

The city adds that the shrine cabinet of 1631, a fine work adding Zen-style details to Japanese style, is designated with a ridge tag recording repairs in 1685.

Visiting the Daihoji Temple Main Hall

No official visitor information could be found.

Enquiries: Matsuyama City cultural properties section, 089-948-6603.