A Hall for Receiving Visitors
The Shorinbo Guest Hall (照林坊客殿, Shōrinbō Kyakuden) is a 1934 reception hall standing south-west of the main hall of Shorinbo in Miyoshi-machi, Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 July 2011.
A kyakuden is where a temple receives its visitors and where the head priest meets them. This one is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 196 square metres. The Onari-no-ma, built the same year, is attached by a short passage at its south-east corner. The hall was repaired in 1986.
Of the eight buildings registered at Shorinbo, only the Shorinbo Guest Hall and the Onari-no-ma date from the Showa era. They were the early Showa temple's addition to a precinct otherwise made up of Edo-period buildings.
Why It Was Registered
The Shorinbo Guest Hall was registered as a building that serves as a model of its type, the same criterion applied to the Edo-period main hall and priests' quarters. Only those three of the eight were listed on that basis, so a Showa-era building was judged by the same standard as its far older neighbours.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an example of a modern Shin Buddhist taimenjo, or audience hall. In Jodo Shinshu temples the taimenjo is the formal room where the head priest receives parishioners and guests, a room type found at the larger temples. Building a new one in timber, to the traditional plan, in the early Showa years, and having that plan survive in clearly legible form, is what gives the hall its value as a model.
What to Look At
A gable-front tiled roof and a karahafu porch
The roof is hip-and-gable, turned so that its triangular gable faces the front (Tsumairi), and laid with heavy alternating round and flat tiles. At the front is an entrance porch under a karahafu, a gable that swells upward in a bow-shaped curve, and lean-to roofs (Geya) wrap around the sides. The karahafu has long marked entrances meant for honoured arrivals, and it tells you before you step inside what this building is for.
Two halves: audience room and parlour
Inside, the building divides into two parts: the audience room, and a Zashiki fitted with the full set of formal alcove features. Ceremony on one side, more relaxed hospitality on the other.
A seventeen-and-a-half-mat audience room
The audience room covers 17 and a half tatami mats and has a large alcove (ōtoko). A long, narrow side room called the saya-no-ma runs along one side, and an entrance room sits in front. A visitor passes from the porch through the entrance room before reaching the audience room, and the sequence of rooms itself sets the formality of the meeting.
Compared with the Onari-no-ma
The Onari-no-ma next door went up in the same year but has an ordinary pantile roof and no karahafu porch. Between the two, the Shorinbo Guest Hall is the one dressed to face the public.
Visiting
The exterior of the Shorinbo Guest Hall, above all the karahafu porch and the tiled gable front, can be seen from the temple grounds. Stand back a little to take in the gable and the porch together.
The interior is used for receiving guests and for temple events, and as of October 2026 we found no announcement of regular public openings. If you would like to see the audience room or the parlour, contact the temple in advance.
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Q&A
- When was the Shorinbo Guest Hall built?
- It was built in 1934 (Showa 9) and repaired in 1986. The Onari-no-ma attached to its south-east corner dates from the same year.
- What is the audience room in the Shorinbo Guest Hall?
- It is a taimenjo, the formal room where a Jodo Shinshu head priest receives parishioners and guests. Here it measures 17 and a half tatami mats, with a large alcove, a narrow saya-no-ma along the side and an entrance room in front.
- Why is the Shorinbo Guest Hall a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 25 July 2011 as a building that serves as a model of its type. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it an example of a modern Shin Buddhist audience hall.
- Can I go inside the Shorinbo Guest Hall?
- As of October 2026 there was no announcement of regular public openings. The hall is used for receiving guests and temple events, so contact the temple in advance if you hope to see the interior.
- What does the Shorinbo Guest Hall look like from outside?
- It has a hip-and-gable roof turned gable-end to the front and laid with heavy round-and-flat tiles, an entrance porch under a curved karahafu gable, and lean-to roofs around the sides.
Basic Information
| Name | Shorinbo Guest Hall (照林坊客殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1280 Miyoshi-machi, Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2011/7/25 (Heisei 23) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 196 square metres |
| Owner | Shorinbo (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the temple grounds; no regular interior openings announced |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Shorinbo Guest Hall (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008776
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shorinbo Guest Hall (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/161587
Last verified: 2026.10.07
