What the Sangha Treasure House Is
Kosanji Temple Sangha Treasure House is a treasure hall of 1941 on the east side of the middle terrace at Kosanji Temple in Setoda, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2003. It faces Hohozo across the five-storied pagoda, the two identical in form and size.
It is single-storey timber work under tile covering 180 square metres. The core columns are round and carry twice-stepped Kumimono; the skirt columns outside them are square and carry Mitsudo-gumi. Inside, the building opens into one large room under a raised coffered ceiling.
It takes the main hall of Shitennoji as a reference while changing the exterior considerably. The Agency for Cultural Affairs commentary calls it a good example of large-scale timber temple building in the early Showa years. It now serves as the fourth gallery of the Kosanji Museum.
Why It Was Registered
Kosanji Temple Sangha Treasure House was registered under the criterion for work not easily reproduced. Using different columns and brackets for core and skirt, and still clearing the interior of columns to make one room, is what the criterion recognises.
Round columns with stepped brackets inside, square columns with simpler brackets outside, is a traditional way of showing rank in the elevation. Here the device is used while the purpose is display. The demand for a single undivided room and the demand for a temple exterior had to be met together, and this arrangement is the result.
Few timber temple buildings on this scale were put up new in the early Showa years. The registration date is 19 September 2003 and the number 34-0050.
What to Look For
Once inside, look up. A raised coffered ceiling lifts its border a step before the grid is laid, so the centre of the room sits higher. Combined with a floor almost clear of columns, it makes a space larger than the outside suggests.
Back outdoors, compare the columns. Round shafts and square shafts stand in two rings, and the bracketing above them differs in the number of steps. That difference shows up as the depth of the eaves. Stand under the skirt roof and the two overhangs read one above the other.
The relationship with Hohozo is part of the interest here. The two are placed symmetrically about the pagoda, so from directly in front of it both come into view at once. Two buildings that look the same then part company in their roofs and their interiors.
Displays centre on the art of the tea ceremony. Looking at tea utensils and looking at architecture are different acts, but seeing them under this coffered ceiling is particular to this building.
Visiting the Sangha Treasure House
Kosanji Temple Sangha Treasure House is open as the museum's fourth gallery and can be entered on the standard admission during opening hours. It is one of the few buildings here whose interior can be seen.
Exhibitions change, so checking the official site before a visit helps in planning your time. To look at the building, pause at the entrance to take in the ceiling height, then work along the walls following the line of columns.
Inside the galleries, tripods, flash and video are to be avoided. Still photography for personal use is permitted, including posting on a personal blog or social media account. Steps at the entrance mean wheelchair access is not possible. Opening hours and admission are set out on the Kosanji Temple page.
Q&A
- Can you go inside Kosanji Temple Sangha Treasure House?
- Yes. It is open as the museum's fourth gallery and is covered by the standard admission during opening hours.
- What is the interior of Kosanji Temple Sangha Treasure House like?
- One large room clear of columns, under a raised coffered ceiling whose border steps up before the grid begins, lifting the centre.
- What are the columns and brackets of Kosanji Temple Sangha Treasure House?
- Round columns with twice-stepped brackets in the core, square columns with simpler three-block brackets in the surrounding skirt.
- What is displayed in Kosanji Temple Sangha Treasure House?
- Art of the tea ceremony, in exhibitions that change over time. Check the official site before visiting.
- How big is Kosanji Temple Sangha Treasure House?
- Single-storey timber work under tile covering 180 square metres, matching Hohozo across the five-storied pagoda.
Basic Information
| Name | Kosanji Temple Sangha Treasure House |
|---|---|
| Location | 553-2 Setoda, Setoda-cho, Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 2003/9/19 (Heisei 15) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber structure, tiled roof, building area 180 square metres |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Kosanji Temple |
| Public Access | Open as the museum's fourth gallery during opening hours |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Kosanji Temple Sangha Treasure House (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003592
- Guide to the Halls and Pagodas (Kosanji Museum)
- https://www.kousanji.or.jp/map.html
- On Photography (Kosanji Museum)
- https://www.kousanji.or.jp/news/photograph-manners/
Last verified: 2026.09.14
