Satakeji Temple Main Hall

A Thatched Hall of the Satake Clan

The Satakeji Temple Main Hall (佐竹寺本堂, Satakedera hondō) is the main hall of Satakeji in Tenjinbayashi-cho, Hitachiota City, Ibaraki Prefecture; rebuilt in 1546, in the late Muromachi period, it was designated an Important Cultural Property on April 14, 1906. The Agency for Cultural Affairs reads the name Satakedera, while Ibaraki Prefecture reads it Satakeji.

According to the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, Satakeji belongs to the Chisan school of Shingon Buddhism, bears the names Myofukusan Myoon-in, and is temple number 22 of the Bando 33 Kannon pilgrimage. It grew as the prayer temple of the Satake clan and is said to have first stood on the Horasaki ridge north of Inamura Shrine under the name Kannonji. It burned in war in 1543 and was rebuilt on its present site three years later.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the main block as 5 ken by 5 ken, single storey with a mokoshi pent roof, under a Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of Kayabuki thatch; the pent roof has a karahafu cusped gable over the central bay of the front and is shingled in kokera.

Why It Matters

The Satakeji Temple Main Hall was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1906. Ibaraki Prefecture notes that the cusped katomado windows on the front, the posts, the curved ebi-koryo tie beams of the outer sanctuary and the bracketing show work that anticipates Momoyama architecture. The prefecture dates it to the Momoyama period (1546), while the national record places it in the late Muromachi period (1467 to 1572).

The hall was also heavily remodelled in the Edo period. According to the prefecture, in the Genroku era a large beam was inserted so that 6 interior posts could be removed, the floor was taken out, a coffered ceiling was added, and the areas around the windows and doors were altered when the pent roof was attached. Today's building combines original members with these Genroku changes.

What to Look For

From outside, look at the two-tier profile: a great thatched hipped roof above, with a kokera-shingled pent roof wrapping around below. The karahafu gable rising at the centre of the front makes a light counterpoint to the heavy thatch (Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education).

Closer to the front, look at the katomado windows and the bracketing under the eaves. Together with the curved tie beams of the outer sanctuary, these are the parts the prefecture singles out as forerunners of Momoyama style.

Visiting the Satakeji Temple Main Hall

The exterior of the Satakeji Temple Main Hall can be seen in the temple grounds. No official information on interior viewing, hours, parking or transport could be confirmed, so check with the temple. The address is 2404 Tenjinbayashi-cho, Hitachiota City (Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education).