Kakurinji Temple Bell Tower: a skirted belfry from 1407
Kakurinji Temple Bell Tower (鶴林寺鐘楼, Kakurinji Shōrō) is a mid-Muromachi belfry in the grounds of Kakurinji in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, built in 1407 and designated an Important Cultural Property on May 27, 1907. It measures 3 bays by 2 bays and has a Hakamagoshi, a flared, skirt-like lower storey, under an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable roof of clay tiles.
The temple notes that the Bell Tower went up ten years after the Main Hall. Since the Main Hall dates from 1397, the belfry belongs to the same campaign of building that followed it; the Gyoja Hall had been completed just the year before, in 1406.
The skirt and the bell: why the Kakurinji Bell Tower matters
A hakamagoshi encloses the lower storey of a belfry with boarded walls that splay outward at the base, like the pleated trousers called hakama. The result looks nothing like the open four-post belfries found at many temples; the Kakurinji Bell Tower sits heavily on a closed base, with its 3-by-2-bay plan carrying a hip-and-gable roof above.
The bronze bell hanging in the upper storey is itself a separately designated Important Cultural Property. The temple describes it as a Korean bell cast during the Goryeo dynasty, about a thousand years old, with a clear, high tone in the ōshiki-chō mode. A Muromachi building and a Goryeo bell come together in one structure.
The temple counts this bell, along with a statue said to portray Prince Shōtoku's teacher Eben and a Goryeo-period Buddhist painting, among the treasures that link Kakurinji to Korea.
What to look for at the Kakurinji Bell Tower
Look at the Kakurinji Bell Tower first from a little distance. The Agency for Cultural Affairs photographs it from the east, and from that side you can see how the skirted base widens toward the ground while the upper posts, the bell and the roof sit lightly on top.
Up close, notice where the boarded skirt meets the open upper storey. The contrast between the closed, boarded base and the open posts above is the whole point of the form. Look up and you can see the Goryeo bell in place.
Visiting the Kakurinji Temple Bell Tower, and when the bell is rung
The exterior of the Kakurinji Bell Tower can be viewed from the grounds during opening hours. Normally the only time visitors can strike the bell is on New Year's Eve, December 31, and the temple has said there was no other chance to ring it.
In 2026 the temple opened the Bell Tower from April 25 to May 6, during the spring holidays, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and let visitors strike the bell, asking them to do so gently because the bell is an Important Cultural Property. Whether this will be repeated is worth checking in the temple's news. The temple website says nothing about photography. Opening hours, admission and directions are on the Kakurinji Temple page.
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Q&A
- When was the Kakurinji Temple Bell Tower built?
- In 1407, in the mid-Muromachi period. The temple notes that it followed the Main Hall by ten years.
- What is the "hakamagoshi" on the Kakurinji Bell Tower?
- It is the boarded lower storey, which flares outward at the base like a hakama skirt. It gives the belfry a solid, closed base instead of four open posts.
- What kind of bell hangs in the Kakurinji Bell Tower?
- According to the temple, a Korean bell cast in the Goryeo dynasty, with a clear, high tone. The bell is a separately designated Important Cultural Property.
- Can visitors ring the bell at the Kakurinji Bell Tower?
- Normally only on New Year's Eve, December 31. In 2026 the temple also offered bell ringing from April 25 to May 6. Check the temple's news for future dates.
- When was the Kakurinji Bell Tower designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On May 27, 1907.
Basic Information
| Name | Kakurinji Temple Bell Tower (鶴林寺鐘楼) |
|---|---|
| Location | 424 Kitazaike, Kakogawacho, Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture (Kakurinji grounds) |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | May 27, 1907 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3 bays by 2 bays (metric figures not published) |
| Owner | Kakurinji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the grounds (admission fee). Bell ringing only on New Year's Eve and special openings |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Kakurinji Bell Tower
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2368
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kakurinji Bell Tower
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/156905
- Kakurinji Temple: Architecture (Japanese)
- https://www.kakurinji.or.jp/cultural-property/architecture/
- Kakurinji Temple: New Year's Eve Bell (Japanese)
- https://www.kakurinji.or.jp/event/joyanokane/
- Kakurinji Temple: Special Opening of the Bell Tower During the Holidays (Japanese)
- https://www.kakurinji.or.jp/post-1877/
- Kakurinji Temple: List of Designated Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.kakurinji.or.jp/cultural-property/kokuhoichiran/
- Kakurinji Temple: Paintings (Japanese)
- https://www.kakurinji.or.jp/cultural-property/picture/
Last verified: 2026.10.07
