A Traditional Hall with Modern Touches in Kinosaki
The Gokurakuji Temple Main Hall (極楽寺本堂) is an abbot's-quarters-type main hall at the far end of Kinosaki Onsen of 1921 in Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 17, 2015 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 200 square metres; registration number 28-0626.
A Six-Room Hall Fronted with Glass Doors
The main hall of Gokurakuji is an abbot's-quarters-type hall facing south in a precinct towards the far end of Kinosaki Onsen (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Broad and narrow verandas run round three sides of its six-room plan; glass doors line the front, and cusped windows open in the end bays.
The altar room and central room have coved coffered ceilings, transoms of bamboo-node design flank the central room, and the inner rooms on both sides have alcoves (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes it as a main hall combining a traditional plan with modern elements, and registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the glass doors and cusped windows on the front and the bamboo-node transoms of the central room (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Gokurakuji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official visiting information was found.
Q&A
- When was the main hall built?
- In 1921 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is it?
- Towards the far end of Kinosaki Onsen, facing south.
- How is it planned?
- Six rooms in the abbot's-quarters manner, with verandas on three sides.
- What is modern about it?
- The glass doors along its front.
- When was the Gokurakuji Temple Main Hall registered?
- On November 17, 2015 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Gokurakuji Temple Main Hall (極楽寺本堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 800-3 Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2015/11/17 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 200 m² |
| Owner | Gokurakuji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Gokurakuji Temple Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010856
Last verified: 2026.10.23