Teishoji Temple Treasure House

Teishoji Temple Treasure House at a Glance

The Teishoji Temple Treasure House (貞照寺宝物庫, Teishōji Hōmotsuko) is a reinforced concrete storehouse built in 1933 south of the main hall of Teishoji Temple in Unuma Hoshakujicho, Kakamigahara City, Gifu Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on 3 August 2006.

Today it houses the Sadayakko Engikan, a small museum devoted to the temple's founder, the actress Kawakami Sadayakko, with her stage costumes, theatre scripts and furniture on display. The single-storey building has copper roofing and a building area of 125 square metres. It stands about 40 metres south of the main hall and faces north toward it.

Why the Teishoji Temple Treasure House Was Registered

The Teishoji Temple Treasure House was registered as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an example of a traditional style rebuilt with modern materials and techniques, and the temple likewise explains that the concrete building imitates azekura log-storehouse construction.

An azekura storehouse has walls of triangular-section timbers stacked in a crisscross frame; the best-known examples survive from the Nara period. At Teishoji the entire structure is reinforced concrete, and the azekura look was carried over into its exterior. Of the 7 registered buildings at the temple, this is the only one the national register records as a reinforced concrete structure.

What to Look for at the Teishoji Temple Treasure House

A Raised Floor and a Log-Store Base

The treasure house sits on a raised floor under a Kirizuma-zukuri gable roof, with a pent roof running all the way round. Below that pent roof the walls are treated in two layers. The lower part imitates azekura construction, giving the concrete the heavy, stacked look of an old timber store.

Posts and Latticed Windows Above

The upper part exposes square posts, with vertical-lattice windows and slatted Renji-mado set between them. The contrast between the solid lower half and the light, open upper half is the key to the design. Take in the proportions from the north front first, then walk round the sides to see how far the eaves project and how the windows are spaced.

A Glass Ceiling

Inside is a single room with a glass ceiling, a feature the Agency's description goes out of its way to mention and a bold choice for a storehouse of the early 1930s. Once inside the Engikan, look up as well as into the cases.

According to the temple, the museum also holds the preparatory drawings for the carved panels around the main hall, including one showing Sadayakko praying for the safe completion of the Oi Dam. Seen together with those carvings, the Teishoji Temple Treasure House works as the archive of the temple itself.

Visiting the Teishoji Temple Treasure House

You can go inside the Teishoji Temple Treasure House as the Sadayakko Engikan, which charges admission. The temple website does not list the fee, so call the temple on 058-384-0202 to confirm it. Separate opening hours for the museum are not published, so plan to visit within the temple's own hours.

No photography rules for the exhibition room are posted; check at the reception before taking pictures. The exterior can be viewed freely from the grounds. For directions, see the Teishoji Temple page.