Kakurinji Temple Goma Hall: a plain hall for the fire ritual
Kakurinji Temple Goma Hall (鶴林寺護摩堂, Kakurinji Goma-dō) is a late Muromachi Buddhist hall in the grounds of Kakurinji in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, built in 1563 and designated an Important Cultural Property on May 27, 1907. It is square in plan, 3 bays by 3 bays, a single-storey building under an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable roof of clay tiles. It faces south; the Agency for Cultural Affairs photographs its front from that side.
Of the six designated buildings at Kakurinji, the Goma Hall is the youngest. It was built more than 160 years after the Main Hall of 1397, and in the history of the grounds it represents the Warring States era.
What the Goma Hall was built for, and why it matters
A goma hall is where the goma fire ritual is performed: wooden sticks are burned on a hearth before the altar. The temple explains it as a rite in which the fire of wisdom burns away worldly desires and the effects of wrongdoing.
Kakurinji describes the Goma Hall as a well-proportioned small hall, three bays square, built simply, without bracket sets on top of the posts. Its exterior is in the native Wayō manner and its interior in the Zenshūyō or Zen style, so it too is an example of Setchūyō, the mixed style. Kakurinji's Main Hall is well known for combining Wayō with Zen and Daibutsuyō details; the Goma Hall applies the same idea to a small building, with the ornament stripped back.
Within a couple of decades of its construction, Harima was drawn into the campaigns of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The temple's chronology says that while many temples and shrines were burned in this period, Kakurinji escaped by handing over its estates to Nobunaga, and so kept its buildings. The Goma Hall, then barely two decades old, survived with the rest.
What to look for at the Kakurinji Goma Hall
At the Kakurinji Goma Hall, start by looking up under the eaves. With no bracket sets on the posts, the space between post tops and eaves is clean and uncluttered. Under the eaves of the Main Hall, by contrast, Wayō brackets step out in two tiers. Compare the two and the restraint of the Goma Hall becomes obvious.
Because the plan is 3 bays on every side, the hall presents the same width from any direction. Step from the south front to a diagonal view and you can take in the whole compact form: a square box under a hip-and-gable roof.
Visiting the Kakurinji Temple Goma Hall
The Kakurinji Goma Hall stands on the east side of the grounds, facing south, and its exterior can be viewed from the grounds during opening hours. It would be good to see the Zen-style interior the temple describes, but no regular interior access is advertised. The temple's digital experience page lists the Goma Hall among the buildings whose "normally unseen interior" can be viewed through its smartphone AR guide.
The temple website says nothing about photography, so check the signs on site or ask at the temple office. Opening hours, admission and directions are on the Kakurinji Temple page.
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Q&A
- When was the Kakurinji Temple Goma Hall built?
- In 1563, in the late Muromachi period. It is the youngest of the six designated buildings at Kakurinji.
- What is the Kakurinji Goma Hall used for?
- It is the hall for the goma fire ritual, in which wooden sticks are burned on a hearth. The temple describes it as a rite where the fire of wisdom burns away worldly desires.
- What are the architectural features of the Kakurinji Goma Hall?
- It is a hip-and-gable hall three bays square, built without bracket sets on the posts. According to the temple, the exterior is Wayō and the interior Zen style.
- Can you see inside the Kakurinji Goma Hall?
- No regular interior access is advertised. The temple's AR guide offers a view of the normally unseen interior, so expect to see the hall from outside.
- When was the Kakurinji Goma Hall designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On May 27, 1907.
Basic Information
| Name | Kakurinji Temple Goma Hall (鶴林寺護摩堂) |
|---|---|
| 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 3 bays (metric figures not published) |
| Owner | Kakurinji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the grounds (admission fee). No regular interior access advertised |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Kakurinji Goma Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2369
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kakurinji Goma Hall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/186516
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kakurinji Main Hall (bracket comparison)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/190203
- Kakurinji Temple: Architecture (Japanese)
- https://www.kakurinji.or.jp/cultural-property/architecture/
- Kakurinji Temple: History (Japanese)
- https://www.kakurinji.or.jp/history/
- Kakurinji Temple: Digital Experience
- https://www.kakurinji.or.jp/tour/
Last verified: 2026.10.07
