The Largest of Enichiji's Registered Buildings
The Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters (慧日寺庫裏, Enichi-ji Kuri) is a late Edo-period Kuri built between 1751 and 1830 and remodelled in 1924, standing in the precinct of Enichiji Temple in Sannan-chō, Tanba City, Hyogo Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 19, 2014. It measures 23 metres by 15 metres, with a building area of 373 square metres, the largest of the five registered buildings at Enichiji.
In a Zen temple the kuri houses the kitchen, the temple office and the living rooms of the resident priests. The Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters runs east to west on the north side of the abbot's quarters and is joined to it by a corridor with a formal Shikidai entrance. Its roof is a thatched Irimoya-zukuri, set beside the thatched roof of the abbot's quarters.
Why It Was Registered: Half of the Temple's Core
The Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, together with the abbot's quarters, it forms the core of the temple's space.
This is the building that serves the temple's daily life, yet at 373 square metres it is slightly larger than the abbot's quarters at 349, and it carries the same kind of thatch. From outside, neither reads as the lesser building. The pair of great roofs at the back of the precinct only works because both are there.
The register also records the remodelling of 1924, a sign that the late Edo building stayed in use as the temple's household well into the modern era.
What to Look For: An Earthen Floor and a Formal Study
The Priests' Quarters is a Tsumairi building: its front is a gable end, on the east, and that whole east side is a Doma, an earth-floored area of the kind kuri generally used for cooking and for coming and going.
Beyond the doma, the raised living area is divided along the line of the ridge into 2 rows of rooms, north and south. Along the back are 3 rooms of 8 mats each, and in the southwest corner is a study, or shoin, fitted with formal alcove furnishings (zashiki-kazari). A building for kitchen work and daily living thus also contains a room fit for receiving guests.
For the clearest exterior view, stand near the back gate, directly in front of the Enichiji Priests' Quarters on the east, and look west. The gable end faces you squarely, and the shape of the gable and the depth of the thatch are easy to judge.
Visiting the Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters
The Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters is seen as part of a visit to Enichiji during opening hours, after paying the admission fee. Directions and visiting conditions for the whole temple are gathered on the Enichiji Temple page.
A kuri is by nature a working building. Official tourism listings do not say which rooms of the Priests' Quarters visitors may enter, whether the shoin is shown, or whether photography is allowed indoors. Ask at reception, and stay out of rooms you have not been shown into.
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Q&A
- How big is the Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters?
- It measures 23 metres by 15 metres, with a building area of 373 square metres. It is the largest of Enichiji's five registered buildings, slightly bigger than the abbot's quarters at 349 square metres.
- When was the Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters built?
- The national register dates it to the late Edo period, 1751–1830, with a remodelling in 1924. It became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2014.
- Why was the Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters registered?
- It was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, together with the abbot's quarters, it forms the core of the temple's space.
- What is the shoin in the Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters?
- It is a room in the southwest corner of the living area, fitted with formal alcove furnishings. It gave the household building a room suitable for receiving guests.
- Can visitors see inside the Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters?
- The grounds are open during Enichiji's opening hours with the admission fee paid. Official listings do not say whether the interior or the shoin is shown, or whether photography is allowed, so check at reception.
Basic Information
| Name | Enichiji Temple Priests' Quarters |
|---|---|
| Location | 127-1 Ota, Sannan-cho, Tanba City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2014 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 23 metres by 15 metres; building area 373 square metres |
| Owner | Enichiji Religious Corporation |
| Public Access | Grounds open to visitors (admission fee); interior access follows the temple's guidance |
References
- Cultural Properties Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Enichiji Kuri
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010324
- Cultural Heritage Online: Enichiji Kuri
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/211187
- Tanba City: National Designated, Selected and Registered Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.tamba.lg.jp/soshiki/shakaikyoikubunkazaika/gyomuannai/7/1/1650.html
- Burari Tambaji (Hyogo Tanba tourism portal): Enichiji
- https://www.burari-tambaji.com/spot/65
Last verified: 2026.09.19
