What Shishinden Hall Is
Kosanji Temple Shishinden Hall is a hall of 1941 on the west side of the upper terrace at Kosanji Temple in Setoda, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, registered as a Tangible Cultural Property in 2003. It faces Shingyoden across the forecourt of the Main Hall.
It is single-storey timber work with a copper-sheet roof covering 114 square metres. A core five bays square is ringed by an open skirt with no walls, and the roof is pyramidal Hōgyō-zukuri in copper. The brackets are Mitsudo-gumi, and the skirt roof is raised one step only at the centre of the front.
The name comes from shishin, one of the three states of mind that matter in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism; with Shingyoden opposite, the two names form a pair. The model is said to be the Amida hall of Hokaiji in Kyoto. The temple records that it was built as a treasure hall and is now used to store ritual implements.
Why It Was Registered
Kosanji Temple Shishinden Hall was registered under the criterion for work not easily reproduced. Reworking the form of a late Heian Buddhist hall to serve as a modern treasure house is what the criterion recognises.
This hall and Shingyoden were built to the same size and form so that the precinct would read symmetrically. The temple describes both as plain in design, without the applied ornament used elsewhere, and as carrying the graceful character of late Heian temple architecture. Amid halls that pile on colour and metalwork, these two hold back.
The interior is one room and has been put to a succession of uses. That the building has absorbed those changes without alteration says something about a design not tied to any one content. It was registered on 19 September 2003 under number 34-0051.
What to Look For
The open skirt is the first thing you notice. With posts and no walls, a shaded walk runs around the foot of the building. From outside the hall reads larger; from within the colonnade, the line of posts slices up the view beyond.
Then find the point where the skirt roof steps up, at the centre of the front and nowhere else. In an otherwise symmetrical building, that one break in the horizontal marks the entrance and builds a front at the same time. It reads best from directly ahead.
The roof is pyramidal copper sheet, four planes gathering to a point. After a run of tiled halls, copper reflects light differently: on a grey day it settles into a muted grey-green, and in sun only the ridges catch.
Comparing it with Shingyoden is part of the pleasure. The two face each other across the forecourt at the same size in the same form, yet their plans differ slightly. Stand in the middle of the court and look left and right in turn, and the intent to pair and the small departures show up together.
Visiting Shishinden Hall
The interior of Kosanji Temple Shishinden Hall is closed and cannot be entered, although the skirt has no walls, so you can walk up under the line of posts.
The front is visible from the forecourt of the Main Hall, which is also the place to check the raised centre of the skirt roof. For the sides and back, walk round the hall and look at the wall planes between the posts. The entrance to the Senbutsudo cave lies beside this hall, so anyone visiting the cave passes its base coming and going.
Photography for personal enjoyment is permitted, including on a personal blog or social media account; commercial use without permission requires an application. Opening hours and admission cover the whole precinct and are set out on the Kosanji Temple page.
Q&A
- Can you go inside Kosanji Temple Shishinden Hall?
- No, the interior is closed, but the skirt has no walls so you can walk up beneath the line of posts.
- How does Kosanji Temple Shishinden Hall differ from Shingyoden?
- They face each other across the Main Hall forecourt at almost the same size and form, with small differences in plan. Shishinden is on the west, Shingyoden on the east.
- Where does the name of Kosanji Temple Shishinden Hall come from?
- From shishin, one of the three states of mind emphasised in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, paired with the name of Shingyoden opposite.
- What was Kosanji Temple Shishinden Hall modelled on?
- The Amida hall of Hokaiji in Kyoto, with a core five bays square ringed by an open skirt.
- What is the roof of Kosanji Temple Shishinden Hall like?
- Pyramidal and laid in copper sheet, with the skirt roof raised one step at the centre of the front.
Basic Information
| Name | Kosanji Temple Shishinden Hall |
|---|---|
| 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, copper-sheet roof, building area 114 square metres |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Kosanji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable during opening hours; interior closed |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Kosanji Temple Shishinden Hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003593
- 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
