The Second-Oldest Building at Jorakuji
The Jorakuji Temple Bell Tower (常楽寺鐘楼, Jōraku-ji Shōrō) is a bell tower of 1754 standing just west of the main gate on the south side of Jorakuji Temple in Higashikanki-cho, Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture, listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 31 July 2007.
It rises from a stone-faced platform and measures 9.5 shaku by 9 shaku, with its ridge running east to west under a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) of clay tile (Hongawarabuki). The registration data give its area as 8.4 square metres.
Of the four registered buildings at Jorakuji, only the main hall of 1692 is older. The bell tower predates the gate beside it by 16 years.
Why It Was Registered
The Jorakuji bell tower was listed as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs works through its details one by one: the angle of the posts, the brackets and carved struts, the gable ornament, the exposed eaves and the way the bell is hung.
The posts lean inward on all four sides, a technique called shiho-korobi that gives a building carrying a heavy bell a firmer stance, and the beam linking their tops is shaped as a curved tie-beam (Kōryō), so a structural member doubles as ornament. A great deal of mid-eighteenth-century carpentry is packed into a structure of about 8.4 square metres.
What to Look At
Platform and leaning posts
Stand back a few paces from the front or side and the four posts can be seen drawing slightly together as they rise from the stone platform.
Brackets, struts and gables
The posts carry three-block brackets (Demitsudo), with carved frog-leg struts (Kaerumata) between them. The side gables repeat the motif, a strut set on a curved tie-beam, so you can compare the carving front and side.
Exposed eaves and the bell
The eaves use a single tier of widely spaced rafters left exposed on the underside. The temple bell (Bonshō) hangs from a tie-beam set beneath the ridge; stand below and look up to see how the frame takes its weight.
Visiting
The Jorakuji Temple Bell Tower stands right beside the main gate, so its exterior is visible as soon as you arrive. The lean of the posts is clearest from a short distance; walk to the east and west sides for the gable struts.
The temple's calendar lists the ringing of the bell on New Year's Eve. We could not confirm that visitors may strike the bell, nor how often it is rung through the year, so leave the bell and its striker alone and enjoy the tower from outside.
The national record does not give a date for the bell itself.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Jorakuji Temple Bell Tower
- [ Himeji Castle & Kobe Night View Cruise ]
Q&A
- When was the Jorakuji Temple Bell Tower built?
- It dates from 1754 (Horeki 4), making it the second-oldest of Jorakuji's four registered buildings and 16 years older than the main gate.
- How big is the Jorakuji Temple Bell Tower?
- It measures 9.5 shaku by 9 shaku, with an area of 8.4 square metres in the registration data, and stands on a stone-faced platform.
- Why is the Jorakuji Temple Bell Tower a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on 31 July 2007 as a model of design, for details such as its inward-leaning posts, curved tie-beams, carved struts and gable ornament.
- Can visitors ring the bell at the Jorakuji Temple Bell Tower?
- The temple lists a New Year's Eve bell-ringing, but we could not confirm that visitors may take part. On ordinary days, please only look.
- What should I look for at the Jorakuji Temple Bell Tower?
- The posts leaning inward on all four sides, the brackets and carved struts, the gable ornament, the exposed rafters and the bell hanging beneath the ridge.
Basic Information
| Name | Jorakuji Temple Bell Tower (常楽寺鐘楼) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1413 Kanki, Higashikanki-cho, Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/7/31 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof, area 8.4 square metres (9.5 shaku by 9 shaku) |
| Owner | Jorakuji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the grounds |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 常楽寺鐘楼
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006569
- Cultural Heritage Online: 常楽寺鐘楼
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/171872
- Kakogawa Tourism Association: Kanki no Jorakuji (Kanki Castle Site)
- https://kako-navi.jp/spot/18980.html
Last verified: 2026.10.08
