Yakuoin Temple Main Hall

A Great Muromachi Hall in Mito

The Yakuoin Temple Main Hall (薬王院本堂, Yakuōin hondō) is the main hall of Yakuoin, a Tendai temple in Motoyoshida-cho, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture; the Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1529, in the late Muromachi period, and it was designated an Important Cultural Property on June 11, 1966.

According to Mito City and the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, Yakuoin lies about 800 m south of Yoshida Shrine and was once its affiliated temple. It is said to date from the Heian period, founded in 807 by the monk Saicho at the request of Emperor Kanmu.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the hall as 7 ken by 5 ken, single storey, with an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable roof of copper sheet shaped like thatch. It belongs to Yakuoin.

Why It Matters

The Yakuoin Temple Main Hall was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1966. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an exceptionally large hall, seven bays across the front and five deep, strongly regional in style, and an important survivor for understanding Muromachi architectural culture.

Mito City records that the hall burned in 1527, was rebuilt in 1529, underwent a major repair by Tokugawa Mitsukuni in 1686 and was dismantled and repaired again in 1968. The temple's own account says the rebuilding, supported by its patrons the Edo clan, was completed in 1530, and that during the repair under Mitsukuni's patronage in 1687 the hall was turned from facing south to facing east. The sources differ by a year.

What to Look For

Standing before the hall, you see the broad seven-bay front and the thick hip-and-gable roof, copper-clad in the shape of thatch, that give it its commanding presence (Mito City). Its sheer size and mass, with a strong regional Muromachi character, are the first thing to take in.

According to the temple, a ginkgo said to be 500 years old stands to the right of the hall, and a 150-year-old camphor tree to the left. The temple carried out a project to re-roof and conserve the hall from 2022, publishing the final project pamphlet in 2024.

Visiting the Yakuoin Temple Main Hall

According to Yakuoin, visitors who wish to view the temple should telephone at least a week in advance, as the temple has its own schedule. The exterior of the hall can be seen from the grounds. Ask the temple about photography. The address is 682 Motoyoshida-cho, Mito City.