What hakamagoshi means
A hakamagoshi is a wall enclosing the lower part of a bell tower or similar building, flaring outward toward the base. The name is said to come from its likeness to the hips of someone wearing a pleated hakama. It is boarded or plastered, and the bell chamber sits above it.
A bell tower with a hakamagoshi looks two-storeyed from outside because its lower part is enclosed, and records describe it as having a hakamagoshi. Compared with an open four-post bell tower, it gives a steadier, heavier appearance. The space inside is sometimes used for storage.
Reading the records and the building
Records include the feature in the type of the bell tower. The bell tower of Kongoji in Kawachinagano, Osaka, an Important Cultural Property, is three bays by two with a hakamagoshi and a hip-and-gable tiled roof. The bell tower of Einichiji in Tamba, Hyogo, is one bay square with a hakamagoshi on a low base of random stonework and is praised as tall and imposing.
On site, check whether the lower part of the bell tower is enclosed by a flared wall. A lower part enclosed by vertical walls, or an open tower with only low boarding, is not called a hakamagoshi.
References
- 金剛寺鐘楼｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2192
- 慧日寺鐘楼｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010326
Last verified: 2026.09.26