Senkyoji Temple

Senkyoji Temple

Senkyoji Temple (専教寺, also romanized Senkyō-ji) is a Jodo Shinshu Honganji-ha temple in Funaki, Takamiyacho, Akitakata City, Hiroshima Prefecture, whose main hall of 1794, main gate of 1914 and mid-Showa ossuary were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on December 5, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). All three buildings belong to the temple's religious corporation.

According to Akitakata City, Senkyoji was founded on the tenth day of the fifth month of 1522 by the priest 順誓. The city also notes that old records describe the temple burning down in the Tenpo era (1830s), while giving 1794 as the date of the present main hall, a date the Agency for Cultural Affairs shares. No published explanation of how the fire relates to the surviving hall was found.

The temple once had two bells. The city records that the large bell was cast in 1679 by a bell founder of the Kamanza casting district in Kyoto, and that the small bell bore an inscription of 1712; the large bell was surrendered for metal during the Second World War.

The Three Buildings at Senkyoji

At Senkyoji the main gate stands directly in front of the main hall, facing west, and the ossuary stands at the north end of the grounds, facing south (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Passing through the gate brings you face to face with the hall, with the ossuary off to the left at the back.

The main hall, seven bays wide and decorated with a carved Kōhai porch and coffered veranda ceilings, was registered as a model of design. The gate, a Shikyakumon carved with lions, elephants and baku, and the small pyramid-roofed ossuary were both registered for their contribution to the historic landscape (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Each building has its own page.

Visiting Senkyoji Temple

No official information was found on access to the grounds or buildings of Senkyoji, or on photography. As an active temple it holds services, so contact Senkyoji before you go.

Senkyoji lies in Funaki in the northeast of Akitakata, about 9 kilometres north of Kotachi Station on the JR Geibi Line in a straight line (calculated from map positions). The station is too far to walk from, so a car is the practical way to reach the temple.