Ten square metres, and the oldest building here
Kokokuzan Tokushoji Konpirado is a small hall at a Soto Zen temple in Tajima, Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture, built in 1776 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 24 April 2001. It is a single-storey timber building under a copper roof, covering 10 square metres.
It stands free to the northeast of the main hall. Ten square metres is small against the 327 square metres of the main hall and the 297 square metres of the priests' quarters. It is the oldest and the smallest of the three.
It measures a little over ten shaku in each direction, modest even for a three-bay hall. Its registration number is 07-0051, the last of the three in this precinct.
Why it was listed
Kokokuzan Tokushoji Konpirado was listed as a model of design.
What was recognised is that the work is orthodox despite the size. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes square perimeter columns and simple three-part bracket sets, and calls the construction plain but correct. Plain because nothing more was needed, not because anything was left out.
The date is firmly evidenced. A dedication tablet inside gives 1776, and the carpenter is recorded as Chuji Sato of Higashimachi in Tajima itself. For so small a hall, both who built it and when are known.
Small, and orthodox
The eaves are the thing to look at. Purlins are carried out beyond the columns so that the eaves project deeply, further than the size of the hall would lead you to expect.
The perimeter columns are square and the brackets are three-part sets, the most basic form. A large hall would use something elaborate; this one stays with the fundamental.
The small size turns out to be an advantage. The main hall has to be looked up at before it can be taken in, whereas this building can be approached and read at eye level. Of the three at Tokushoji, it is the easiest place to examine how the carpentry actually works.
Visiting
Kokokuzan Tokushoji Konpirado stands free to the northeast of the main hall, so its exterior can be seen from the precinct at any time and the whole of it examined close up.
The interior is not open. The dedication tablet of 1776 is inside and cannot be seen from outside. Photographing the exterior is fine.
Directions, the telephone number and the rest of the precinct are set out on the page for Kokokuzan Tokushoji.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kokokuzan Tokushoji Konpirado
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- How big is Kokokuzan Tokushoji Konpirado?
- Ten square metres, a little over ten shaku in each direction, which is modest even for a three-bay hall.
- When was Kokokuzan Tokushoji Konpirado built?
- In 1776, according to a dedication tablet kept inside. It is the oldest of the three listed buildings here.
- Who built Kokokuzan Tokushoji Konpirado?
- Chuji Sato of Higashimachi in Tajima, a carpenter from the town itself, unlike the main hall, which was built by a carpenter from Echigo.
- What is worth looking at?
- The eaves. Purlins carried beyond the columns give a deep projection, above square columns and simple three-part brackets.
- Can the inside be seen?
- No, the interior is not open. The exterior can be examined closely from the precinct at any time.
Basic Information
| Name | Kokokuzan Tokushoji Konpirado |
|---|---|
| Location | 2970 Teramae-ko, Tajima, Minamiaizu-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2001 (Heisei 13) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber frame, single storey, copper roof, building area 10 square metres |
| Owner | Tokushoji Temple Religious Corporation |
| Public Access | Visible from the precinct at any time; interior not open |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Kokokuzan Tokushoji Konpirado (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002113
- Aizu Sanjusan Kannon pilgrimage, station 15: Tokushoji
- https://aizu33.jp/cultural_assets/399/
- Tokushoji (Minamiaizu Town Tourism Association)
- https://www.aizu-concierge.com/spot/2141/
Last verified: 2026.09.17
