A Kamakura Pagoda on a Wooded Ridge
The Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji (日竜峯寺多宝塔, Nichiryūbuji Tahōtō, the temple also written 日龍峯寺), standing at Shimonoho in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, is a two-storey pagoda of the late Kamakura period and was designated an Important Cultural Property on 27 March 1901.
Nichiryūbuji is better known locally by its nickname, Takasawa Kannon, after the mountain it occupies. The temple claims the oldest history of any in Gifu Prefecture, and its founding is attributed by tradition to Ryōmen Sukuna, the two-faced figure of ancient Hida legend whose image is kept in the main hall. The principal object of worship is Senju Sengen Kanzeon Bosatsu, the thousand-armed, thousand-eyed Kannon, petitioned here for recovery from illness, for protection against misfortune, and for safe childbirth.
The temple sits partway up Takasawa mountain at an elevation of 283 metres. The main hall is built out over the slope on a stage-like platform in the manner of Kiyomizudera in Kyoto, which has earned the temple its other name, the Kiyomizu of Mino. That hall is not the medieval one; the original burned during the Ōnin and Bunmei disturbances of the late fifteenth century, and the present building dates to 1670.
The pagoda survived. Local tradition holds that when fire swept the hillside and consumed most of the complex, villagers who had run up with hooks and sickles found, once the smoke thinned, that the tahōtō was still standing.
Attribution, Date, and Designation
The pagoda is dated by the national register to the late Kamakura period, a bracket given as 1275 to 1332 rather than a single year. Tradition attributes its construction to Hōjō Masako, the widow of Minamoto no Yoritomo, who after his death held power as the nun shogun. If that attribution holds, the building would be the only surviving structure erected by the Kamakura shogunal house, which is the claim local documentation makes. The absence of a firm date and the gap between Masako's death in 1225 and the stated period both counsel caution here; the connection is best treated as a persistent tradition rather than a settled fact.
The form recorded is a three-bay tahōtō with cypress bark roofing, counted as one structure. A tahōtō has a square lower storey, a cylindrical drum above it faced in white plaster and wrapped in a skirt of shingling, and a square upper storey with a pyramidal roof and a bronze finial. The type came into Japanese Buddhism through the esoteric schools and represents the Buddha Tahō appearing to attest the truth of the Lotus Sutra. Three ridge tablets are designated with the pagoda as supplementary items.
The designation date recorded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs is 27 March 1901. Several local sources instead give 1894 for the original listing as a specially protected building, with conversion to Important Cultural Property status in 1950 when the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties took effect. The national register is the authority for the designation year, and the discrepancy in the earlier date is noted here rather than resolved.
What the Site Offers
The climb is part of the experience. The temple road narrows as it rises, and the grounds open out to several hundred tsubo of level ground under old-growth timber. Views reach across to the Hida ranges, the Mino hills, Mount Ibuki, and the Yōrō mountains, which is a wide sweep for a site this modest in scale.
The pagoda stands within the precinct and is seen from the outside as a matter of course. Its interior is another question. The inside was opened to the public in a special viewing after a gap of some sixty years, an event significant enough that the Gifu Prefectural Museum mounted a companion exhibition on the building. Openings of that kind are not scheduled events, so anyone hoping to see the interior should check with the temple rather than assume access.
The main hall repays attention on its own terms. Five bays by four, irimoya roof, cypress bark thatching, built out on posts over a rock outcrop, with the platform projecting forward. Its resemblance to Kiyomizudera is close enough that the comparison has stuck for centuries. It carries prefectural and municipal designations.
Two further things on the grounds. A senbon-hinoki, a cypress of unusual multi-stemmed growth some twenty metres tall, is designated a municipal natural monument. And there is the mitarashi spring, whose water is said locally to help with ailments of the eyes.
The image of Ryōmen Sukuna in the main hall is shown once a year, on the third Sunday of November. On the third Sunday of every month, the temple's regular observance day, the inner sanctuary and the kagomidō are opened to worshippers who are otherwise unable to enter them.
Reaching Takasawa Kannon
The temple is at Shimonoho in Seki City, roughly thirty minutes by car from central Seki. The approach runs along the prefectural Seki-Kanayama road toward Gero, turning off at the Takasawa Kannon entrance near Taragi Park; the final stretch is narrow, and meeting an oncoming vehicle requires care. Parking is provided.
Public transport does not serve the site conveniently, so a car or taxi is the practical option. There is no admission gate for the precinct, and the pagoda and main hall can be seen from outside without charge. Photography of the exteriors is not restricted.
Trails run from the temple up the mountain, and the walk is an ordinary part of a visit for many people who come. Anyone planning that should wear proper footwear rather than treating it as a stroll through a temple garden.
Seki City is known for its blade-making, and the Seki Sword Tradition Museum in the city centre pairs naturally with a trip out to Shimonoho. Enquiries about openings and special viewings go to the temple directly.
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Q&A
- Who built the Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji, and when?
- The national register dates the Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji to the late Kamakura period, given as 1275 to 1332. Tradition attributes it to Hōjō Masako, the nun shogun, though no firm documentation confirms this, so it is best read as a long-standing tradition.
- Can the interior of the Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji be seen?
- The exterior of the Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji can be viewed at any time without charge. The interior was opened in a special viewing after roughly sixty years, but such openings are not scheduled, so contact the temple before travelling with that hope.
- When was the Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji designated an Important Cultural Property?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the designation of the Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji as 27 March 1901. Some local sources give 1894 for the original listing under the earlier protection law, a discrepancy that has not been reconciled.
- How do I reach the Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji?
- The Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji stands at Nichiryūbuji in Shimonoho, Seki City, about thirty minutes by car from central Seki. The final approach road is narrow. Parking is available, and public transport does not serve the site conveniently.
- What else can be seen at the temple that holds the Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji?
- Besides the Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji, the site has a stage-built main hall of 1670 modelled on Kiyomizudera, a multi-stemmed cypress designated a municipal natural monument, and the mitarashi spring. The Ryōmen Sukuna image is shown on the third Sunday of November.
Basic Information
| Name | Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji (日竜峯寺多宝塔, also written 日龍峯寺; the temple is known as Takasawa Kannon) |
|---|---|
| Location | Shimonoho, Seki City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (buildings); temple architecture, pre-modern. Three ridge tablets designated as supplementary items |
| Year Designated | 27 March 1901 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Measurements are not published in the national register; recorded as a three-bay tahōtō with cypress bark roofing, dated to the late Kamakura period (1275 to 1332) |
| Owner | Nichiryūbuji |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable at any time, no admission gate; interior opened only for occasional special viewings |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1093
- Nichiryūbuji (Takasawa Kannon) official site
- https://www.takasawakannon.com/
- Seki City: Nichiryūbuji (Takasawa Kannon)
- https://www.city.seki.lg.jp/kanko/0000001100.html
- Gifu Prefectural Museum: exhibition on the Tahōtō of Nichiryūbuji
- https://www.gifu-kenpaku.jp/kikakuten/syokawa/
- Gifu Prefecture Official Tourism Site: Nichiryūbuji (Takasawa Kannon)
- https://www.kankou-gifu.jp/spot/detail_6343.html
Last verified: 2026.08.06