Shinchokokuji Temple Yakushi Hall

What Is the Shinchokokuji Temple Yakushi Hall?

Shinchokokuji Temple Yakushi Hall (新長谷寺薬師堂, Shinchōkoku-ji Yakushidō) is a late Muromachi Buddhist hall in Hasederacho, Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan on 14 November 1953. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as four bays by three bays, single-storey, with a Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of Hiwadabuki cypress bark.

A yakushido is a hall for Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha, to whom people pray for healing. Among the small late-Muromachi Buddhist halls at Shinchokokuji, this is the only one with a rectangular rather than square plan.

On the Agency's map the Shinchokokuji Yakushi Hall stands about 23 metres due east of the main hall, with the pagoda a little to its south. It roughly faces the Daishi Hall across the main hall, which sits due west.

Why the Yakushi Hall Matters

The Shinchokokuji Temple Yakushi Hall was designated in 1953 with five other buildings. The Shaka, Amida and Daishi halls are all three Ken bays square, but this hall is four bays by three, showing that small halls of the same era still varied in size and shape.

Its hipped cypress bark roof matches the Shaka and Daishi halls, which makes it a useful reference point: you can see directly how a change of plan alters the way the same roof type looks.

What to Look For at the Shinchokokuji Yakushi Hall

A post at the centre of the four-bay side

A side with four bays has five posts, so one post lands exactly in the middle. On a three-bay side, the centre is an opening between posts instead. Walk around the Shinchokokuji Temple Yakushi Hall and check what sits at the centre of each face; the difference in character is immediate.

A longer ridge

On a hipped roof the horizontal main ridge runs along the long axis, with hip ridges dropping at each end toward the corners. With four bays along that axis, the ridge line here reads more clearly than on the square Shaka and Daishi halls.

The eastern side with the pagoda

The pagoda rises just south of the Yakushi Hall. The low, spreading hall roof beside the stacked tiers of the pagoda makes the east side one of the most varied views in the grounds.

Visiting the Shinchokokuji Temple Yakushi Hall

The hall is due east of the main hall and can be viewed from all sides; it pairs naturally with a visit to the pagoda. There is no published information on interior access, so call the temple (0575-22-3464) if you want to ask.

Photography is prohibited inside the outer gate. Directions and general rules are on the Shinchokokuji Temple page.