Shinchokokuji Temple Shaka Hall

What Is the Shinchokokuji Temple Shaka Hall?

Shinchokokuji Temple Shaka Hall (新長谷寺釈迦堂, Shinchōkoku-ji Shakadō) 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 describes it as three bays by three bays, single-storey, with a Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of Hiwadabuki cypress bark, and dates it only to the late Muromachi period, between the late 15th and late 16th centuries.

A shakado is traditionally a hall dedicated to Shaka, the historical Buddha. This one is modest in scale, a compact square of three Ken bays per side.

On the Agency's map the Shinchokokuji Shaka Hall lies about 34 metres southwest of the main hall, at the southern end of the western row formed by the Daishi, Amida and Shaka halls.

Why the Shaka Hall Matters

The Shinchokokuji Temple Shaka Hall is one of six buildings designated together in 1953, 44 years after the main hall and pagoda. That second round turned the listing into protection for the temple's ensemble rather than for two landmarks alone.

Its value lies in being a small late-medieval hall that still stands in a row with others of the same size and roofing. All three western halls are three bays square, yet the Shaka and Daishi halls have hipped roofs while the Amida Hall between them has an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable roof: deliberate variation within a shared standard.

What to Look For at the Shinchokokuji Shaka Hall

The hipped roof lines

A hipped roof slopes down on all four sides, so it shows a trapezoid from the front and from the side. At the Shinchokokuji Temple Shaka Hall, watch how the thick bark softens the four hip ridges running down to the corners.

Compare it with the Amida Hall

The Amida Hall immediately to the north has the same footprint and a different roof. Stand between them and look back and forth: the triangular gable of the Amida Hall changes the character of the building far more than its size would suggest.

A hall that usually stays shut

Seki City states that the interior is normally closed to the public. With the doors shut, attention goes to proportions and the depth of the eaves.

Visiting the Shaka Hall and Special Openings

On ordinary days only the exterior can be seen. On 14 March 2026, however, the Seki City Cultural Property Protection Center held a special event at Shinchokokuji linked to an exhibition at the Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum. It showed a Buddhist painting made in Korea in 1550 and included a look inside the normally closed Shaka Hall. There were two 45-minute sessions, starting at 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., each for 15 people chosen by lottery, free of charge.

Openings like this are irregular, so check the history and cultural property event listings on the Seki City website if you want to see inside the Shinchokokuji Temple Shaka Hall. Even during the special opening, photography was banned throughout the grounds, interiors included. Directions and general rules are on the Shinchokokuji Temple page.