The building that carries the temple's daily life
Kokokuzan Tokushoji Kuri is the priests' quarters of a Soto Zen temple in Tajima, Minamiaizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture, built in 1820 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 24 April 2001. It is a single-storey timber building under a copper roof, covering 297 square metres.
It stands northwest of the main hall, its ridge running north to south. The south end is hipped-and-gabled Irimoya-zukuri while the north end is plainly gabled, an uncommon arrangement within one building.
The kuri is kitchen, residence and office. Where the main hall is for ceremony, this is the building that carries the daily life of the temple. Its registration number is 07-0050.
Why it was listed
Kokokuzan Tokushoji Kuri was listed as a model of design.
What was recognised is the exterior. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the north gable holding the entrance is made to look large and is wrapped in a high canopy, giving the building an appearance unlike an ordinary farmhouse. The plan is a six-room farmhouse type; the face it shows is not.
The date matters too. Ink inscriptions on the timbers fix the building to 1820. The structure dates itself, as the Konpirado in the same precinct does with its dedication tablet.
A farmhouse plan under a temple face
The plan is the six-room type, rooms set out in a grid as in a farmhouse, with formal rooms holding an alcove and shelves to the south and an earth-floored working space to the north. That pairing is also what a country house would have.
The difference is outside. The north gable, where the entrance is, is made to read large, and a high canopy runs around it. A farmhouse would keep that front lower. This building pushes it up, and the standing of a temple shows there.
The thing to check at Kokokuzan Tokushoji Kuri is that the roof changes form from end to end. The south is hipped and gabled and faces the main hall; the north is plainly gabled and faces the entrance. One building, two faces, according to what it is turned towards.
Visiting
Kokokuzan Tokushoji Kuri is in use. It is both the priest's home and the temple office, so the interior is not open to visitors.
The exterior can be seen from the precinct at any time. Look at the north gable and its canopy from the entrance side, and the hipped-and-gabled south end from the direction of the main hall. Comparing the two makes the change of roof form clear. Photographing the exterior is fine.
Directions, the telephone number and the rest of the precinct are set out on the page for Kokokuzan Tokushoji.
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Q&A
- What is Kokokuzan Tokushoji Kuri for?
- It is the temple kitchen, the priest's residence and the office: the building that carries daily life, as against the main hall, which is for ceremony.
- How is the date of Kokokuzan Tokushoji Kuri known?
- From ink inscriptions on its own timbers, which fix it to 1820.
- What is unusual about its roof?
- The south end is hipped and gabled while the north end is plainly gabled: one building with two roof forms.
- Can the interior be visited?
- No. It is in use as the priest's home and the temple office. The exterior can be seen from the precinct at any time.
- What is the registration number of Kokokuzan Tokushoji Kuri?
- 07-0050, listed on 24 April 2001.
Basic Information
| Name | Kokokuzan Tokushoji Kuri |
|---|---|
| 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 297 square metres |
| Owner | Tokushoji Temple Religious Corporation |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the precinct at any time; interior in use as temple offices |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Kokokuzan Tokushoji Kuri (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002112
- 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
