Sojiji Temple Soin Koshakudai, the working kitchen of a Zen monastery
Sojiji Temple Soin Koshakudai (總持寺祖院香積台, Kōshakudai) is a two-story set of priests' quarters (Kuri) built around 1954 at Sōjiji Soin in Monzen, Monzen-machi, Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 7, 2008. In Zen temples, kōshakudai is the traditional name for the building that houses the kitchen and the daily business of the monastery.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Kōshakudai as a wooden building standing west of the Butsuden (Buddha hall). It has a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof of interlocking pan tiles (Sangawara-buki), entered from the gable end (Tsumairi), with lean-to eaves (Geya) wrapped around it. The building area is 584 square meters, with a corridor attached, and the interior is divided into a large kitchen and many rooms.
Most of the central halls at Sojiji Temple Soin date from the 1910s; the Kōshakudai belongs to the postwar years. It still serves as the administrative base of the temple. The temple's reconstruction office held its contractor selection committee and a round of bidding at the Kōshakudai in January and February 2026.
Why Sojiji Temple Soin Koshakudai is registered
Sojiji Temple Soin Koshakudai carries registration number 17-0172, from the 58th round of registrations, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Zen'etsurō corridor, which links the Kōshakudai to the main gate, and the Hakusan Well inside the cloister were registered on the same day.
What the Agency highlights is the way the building doubles as part of the cloister. The lean-to running from the north front along the east side, together with the corridor on the east face, joins the covered walkways that circle the main halls. A building made for cooking and living is thus also part of the route through the precinct, an arrangement typical of the priests' quarters at a large Zen monastery.
What to notice at the Kōshakudai: an open front and arched windows
At the front of the Kōshakudai the central entrance spans two bays. On either side of it, and across the upper floor, are windows shaped like the cusped Katōmado of Zen architecture, fitted with wooden lattices. The Agency calls the effect an open exterior, quite unlike the closed plaster walls of a storehouse-style kitchen.
The broad gable facing forward and the eaves wrapped around the lower story keep the two-story building looking low and settled. The curved window heads borrow a motif familiar from older Zen halls, and they let a postwar building sit comfortably beside the Taishō-era halls around it.
The January 1, 2024 earthquake also damaged the Kōshakudai, and the temple's damage report includes three photographs of it after the quake. Under the plan made when the reconstruction office was set up, repairs are scheduled from April 2028 to March 2030. The corridor attached to the Kōshakudai is also listed for dismantling and storage as part of the work on the Butsuden.
Visiting Sojiji Temple Soin Koshakudai
Sojiji Temple Soin Koshakudai is in daily use by the temple. The temple's guide to the grounds lists the lecture hall, main gate, Butsuden, sutra repository and monks' hall as the buildings for visitors, and we found no notice that the interior of the Kōshakudai is open to the public. Visitors see it from the outside, from the areas open for viewing.
Some parts of the grounds have been closed since the earthquake, and the view will change once repair work begins. The temple's website says nothing about photography rules, so ask at the reception before taking pictures. Directions, opening hours and admission are on the Sojiji Temple Soin page.
Q&A
- What is Sojiji Temple Soin Koshakudai?
- It is the two-story wooden priests' quarters of Sōjiji Soin, standing west of the Butsuden. It contains a large kitchen and many rooms, covers 584 square meters and remains the temple's administrative base.
- How do you pronounce Koshakudai, and when was Sojiji Temple Soin Koshakudai built?
- It is read Kōshakudai. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the building to around 1954.
- When was the Sojiji Temple Soin Koshakudai registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 7, 2008, as number 17-0172, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- Can visitors go inside the Kōshakudai at Sojiji Temple Soin?
- No public opening of the interior is announced. The building is in daily use, so visitors view it from outside. Ask at the reception about photography.
- Was the Kōshakudai at Sojiji Temple Soin damaged in the 2024 earthquake?
- Yes. The temple's reconstruction plan schedules repairs from April 2028 to March 2030.
Basic Information
| Name | Sojiji Temple Soin Koshakudai |
|---|---|
| Location | Ichi 2-1 and others, Monzen, Monzen-machi, Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2008 (registered March 7, 2008) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 stories, building area 584 square meters, with corridor |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Daihonzan Sojiji Soin |
| Public Access | Grounds open for a fee (adults 500 yen); no interior opening announced |
References
- Database of Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Sojiji Soin Koshakudai
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006827
- Sojiji Soin: Guide to the Grounds (Japanese)
- https://noto-soin.jp/visit/keidai/
- Sojiji Soin: Damage from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake (Japanese)
- https://noto-soin.jp/news/71/
- Sojiji Soin: Reconstruction Office Report No. 1 (Japanese)
- https://noto-soin.jp/news/90/
- Sojiji Soin: Reconstruction Office Report No. 3 (Japanese)
- https://noto-soin.jp/news/92/
- Sojiji Soin: Reconstruction Office Report No. 4 (Japanese)
- https://noto-soin.jp/news/93/
Last verified: 2026.10.04
