A Bell Tower Three Storeys Tall
The Bell Tower of Kyōenji Temple (教圓寺鐘楼, Kyōenji Shōrō, the temple name also written 教円寺) is a three-storey timber belfry of 1863 at Ōaza-Unoshima in Buzen City, Fukuoka Prefecture, entered on Japan's national register of Tangible Cultural Properties for buildings on 17 August 2020.
Almost every Japanese temple bell hangs in a single-storey open frame. This one does not, and the difference is visible from several streets away. The tower rises about 13.3 metres, three bays across the front and two deep, on a hakamagoshi base, the flared skirt of boarding that gives a belfry its characteristic taper. Above that the structure climbs two more levels under a pyramidal roof of pantiles. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a bell tower of exceptional rarity.
Kyōenji belongs to the Honganji branch of Jōdo Shinshū, the largest school of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan. The temple was founded around 1821 by Koimai Junji, master of the merchant house Yorozuya, who had made his money through the port of Unoshima and paid for the building himself. It was raised to full temple status in 1850. The bell tower followed in 1863, in the last years of the Edo period, and was repaired in 1980.
Why a Port Town Built Upward
The tower makes sense once you know when Unoshima came into being. In 1821 the Kokura domain began a harbour project here, driven by a dispute with the neighbouring Nakatsu domain over fishing villages at the mouth of the Yamakuni River. Construction took seven years and produced the best harbour in eastern Buzen. Shipping agents followed, and a town grew where there had been marsh. Kyōenji went up alongside the harbour works.
A new port town needed to see out to sea. Local tradition holds that the third level of the bell tower doubled as a lookout, and the view from it still takes in the streets of Unoshima. Whether it was ever used to watch for shipping is not documented, but the account has been handed down locally and the building supports it: no belfry needs a third storey to hang a bell.
The carpentry rewards attention. Bracket complexes at the second level are of the degumi type, projecting outward, with double rafters set close together above. Openings around all four sides carry either kōshi lattice or katōmado, the flame-shaped windows of Zen-influenced architecture. The gallery is supported on demitsudo brackets. Large and small bells hang inside at the second level. Registration cited the criterion for structures not easily reproduced, which is the harder of the two common criteria to satisfy and points at the carpentry rather than at the setting.
Finding It, and What Else Is Nearby
The tower stands in the south-west corner of the temple precinct, right on the line of the old Nakatsu Kaidō, the highway that ran from Kokura down to Nakatsu. That position is deliberate. Anyone travelling the road saw it before they saw the temple.
Come at a low sun and the boarded skirt separates cleanly from the lattice above it, which flattens out at midday. From the road the tower reads more like a castle turret than a temple fitting, an impression visitors mention often.
The precinct is open and the tower can be viewed and photographed from outside without arrangement. There is no regular interior opening, and the upper levels are not accessible to casual visitors; anyone with a specific reason to go up should contact the temple. Kyōenji is a working parish temple with funerals and memorial services in the calendar, so keep voices down and stay clear of the main hall if a service is under way. The hondō itself, rebuilt in 1998 at nine bays square, is worth a look from the courtyard. Parking is available.
JR Unoshima Station on the Nippō Main Line lies about 1.7 kilometres west, some 20 to 25 minutes on foot, and taxis wait at the station. Buzen City reports that this was the first property in the city to be entered on the national register.
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Q&A
- What makes the Bell Tower of Kyōenji Temple unusual?
- It has three storeys. Japanese temple belfries are almost always single-storey open frames, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes this one as exceptionally rare. It rises roughly 13.3 metres, with a hakamagoshi skirted base and a pyramidal pantile roof, and the bells hang at the second level.
- Can visitors climb the Bell Tower of Kyōenji Temple?
- No. The upper levels are not open to casual visitors and there is no regular interior opening. The precinct is accessible and the tower can be viewed and photographed from outside; contact the temple directly if you have a specific reason to request access.
- How do I get to the Bell Tower of Kyōenji Temple from the nearest station?
- JR Unoshima Station on the Nippō Main Line is about 1.7 kilometres west, a walk of roughly 20 to 25 minutes along the route of the old Nakatsu Kaidō. Taxis are available at the station, and the temple has parking for those driving.
- Was the third level of the Bell Tower of Kyōenji Temple really used as a lookout?
- Local accounts say so, and the view from the top level covers the streets of Unoshima. The claim is handed down rather than documented, so it is best treated as tradition. What is certain is that no belfry needs a third storey simply to hang a bell.
- When was the Bell Tower of Kyōenji Temple built and registered?
- It was built in 1863, the third year of the Bunkyū era, and repaired in 1980. Registration as a Tangible Cultural Property took effect on 17 August 2020 under the criterion for structures not easily reproduced. Buzen City reports it as the first registered property within the city.
Basic Information
| Name | Bell Tower of Kyōenji Temple (教圓寺鐘楼) |
|---|---|
| Location | 215 Ōaza-Unoshima, Buzen City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structures), registration no. 40-0173 |
| Year Designated | Registered and gazetted 17 August 2020 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, three storeys, pantile roof; floor area 41 m²; height approx. 13.3 m; three bays by two bays |
| Owner | Kyōenji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the precinct; interior and upper levels not open to general visitors. |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — National Cultural Properties Database: Bell Tower of Kyōenji Temple
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013466
- Cultural Heritage Online — Bell Tower of Kyōenji Temple
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/432882
- Buzen Tourism and Community Development Association — Kyōenji Bell Tower
- https://buzen-kk.jp/spot/%E6%95%99%E5%9C%93%E5%AF%BA-%E9%90%98%E6%A5%BC/
- Buzen City — Early modern roads and stone monuments (on the building of Unoshima harbour)
- https://www.city.buzen.lg.jp/kanko/miru/bunkazai/11.html
- Honganji Chinzei Betsuin — Hōrinzan Kyōenji temple profile
- https://hongwanji-chinzei.jp/buzen_kyoenji/
Last verified: 2026.08.24