A Main Hall with a Cusped Gable and Carvings
The Meisekiji Temple Main Hall (明石寺本堂) is the main hall on the top terrace of around 1890 in Uwacho Ageishi, Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 2, 2007 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber hall with a tiled roof and a building area of 104 square metres; registration number 38-0076.
A Weighty Front with a Cusped Gable
The main hall stands facing south on the top terrace of the hillside precinct (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is five bays square under a hip-and-gable pantiled roof with a porch, a veranda on all four sides, three-block brackets and two tiers of rafters.
A cusped gable projecting beneath the great roof gives it a weighty front, and carvings throughout the porch catch the eye (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The precinct of Meisekiji climbs a hillside: the two-storey gate, the Jizo hall and the guest hall stand on a middle terrace built up with stone steps and walls, and the main hall and Daishi hall on the top terrace (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the cusped gable under the great roof and the carvings of the porch (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The owner is not listed in the Agency record. No official information on visiting hours or fees was found. The nine registered structures, from the main hall to the stone steps, are introduced together on the Meisekiji Temple page.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- Around 1890 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where does it stand?
- On the top terrace, facing south.
- What marks its exterior?
- A cusped gable projecting under the great roof.
- How is the temple name read?
- Meisekiji.
- When was the Meisekiji Temple Main Hall registered?
- On October 2, 2007 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Meisekiji Temple Main Hall (明石寺本堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 205 Uwacho Ageishi, Seiyo City, Ehime Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/10/02 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 104 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on access |
References
- Meisekiji Temple Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006320
Last verified: 2026.10.24
