A Suite for Honoured Guests
The Shorinbo Onari-no-ma (照林坊御成の間, Shōrinbō Onari-no-ma) is a 1934 guest wing attached to the south-east of the guest hall at Shorinbo in Miyoshi-machi, Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 25 July 2011.
Onari is a respectful word for the arrival of a person of high rank, and an onari-no-ma is a room or wing prepared for such a visitor. This one is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 117 square metres, linked by a passage to the guest hall built in the same year.
Only two of Shorinbo's eight registered buildings date from the Showa era: the guest hall and the Shorinbo Onari-no-ma. The guest hall is where visitors were formally received; the Onari-no-ma is where they then stayed.
Why It Was Registered
The Shorinbo Onari-no-ma was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape: an early Showa timber guest wing that sits comfortably among the Edo-period buildings of the precinct.
What the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out is the bath and toilet added along its southern rear. Set alongside a principal room with formal alcove fittings, they show that the building was meant for guests to actually stay in. Meet in the guest hall, rest in the Onari-no-ma: the pair shows, in concrete form, how a temple of the early Showa years looked after its most important visitors.
The Agency describes the interior as calm and restrained. Comfort and quiet came before display.
What to Look At
A quieter roof
The roof is hip-and-gable, laid with ordinary pantiles (Sangawara-buki), with lean-to roofs (Geya) on all sides. Next door the guest hall wears heavy round-and-flat tiles and a curved karahafu porch; the Onari-no-ma keeps its exterior deliberately plain.
Three rooms in a row
Three rooms are lined up east to west, surrounded by a veranda. Every room opens through the veranda to daylight and the garden.
The principal room
The easternmost room is the principal one, fitted with an alcove (Tokonoma), a side alcove with shelves (Tokowaki) and a built-in writing bay with a paper window (Tsukeshoin). Concentrating these features in one room sets it clearly above the other two.
Batten ceilings and sand-finished walls
Each room has a simple batten ceiling (Saobuchi-tenjō) and walls finished in sand plaster. Both are modest choices compared with a formal reception suite, and they account for the restful character the Agency describes.
Bath and toilet at the back
Along the south side are a bathroom and toilet. Sleep, bathe, receive callers: the Shorinbo Onari-no-ma works as a small self-contained residence within the temple grounds.
Visiting
The exterior of the Shorinbo Onari-no-ma can be seen from the south-east of the guest hall. How much is visible depends on where you stand, and we could not confirm whether the bathroom wing at the rear can be seen.
The building is used for receiving temple guests, and as of October 2026 we found no announcement of regular public openings. Contact the temple in advance if you would like to see inside.
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Q&A
- When was the Shorinbo Onari-no-ma built?
- It was built in 1934 (Showa 9), the same year as the neighbouring guest hall, to which it is linked by a passage.
- What does Onari-no-ma mean at the Shorinbo Onari-no-ma?
- Onari is an honorific word for the arrival of a person of high rank. An onari-no-ma is a room or wing set aside to receive and lodge such a visitor.
- Why is the Shorinbo Onari-no-ma a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 25 July 2011 for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes its bath and toilet and its calm, restrained interior.
- What is inside the Shorinbo Onari-no-ma?
- Three rooms in a row from east to west, wrapped by a veranda. The principal room at the east end has a tokonoma alcove, a side alcove and a tsukeshoin writing bay; all rooms have batten ceilings and sand-plaster walls, and there is a bath and toilet at the back.
- Can visitors go inside the Shorinbo Onari-no-ma?
- As of October 2026 there was no announcement of regular public openings. The exterior can be seen from the grounds; contact the temple in advance to ask about the interior.
Basic Information
| Name | Shorinbo Onari-no-ma (照林坊御成の間) |
|---|---|
| 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 117 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 Onari-no-ma (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008777
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shorinbo Onari-no-ma (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/184278
Last verified: 2026.10.07
