Shohoji Temple: Three Buildings of the First Sōtō Zen Monastery in Tōhoku
Shohoji Temple (正法寺, also written Shōbō-ji) in Mizusawa, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture, is a Sōtō Zen monastery whose Somon gate of 1665, kuri of 1807 and main hall of 1811 were designated together as an Important Cultural Property in 1990.
Its full formal name is Daibai Nengezan Entsū Shōbō-ji, and the temple still calls itself "Oku no Shōbō-ji," the Shōbō-ji of the deep north. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the first temple of the Sōtō school to be founded anywhere in the Tōhoku region.
Temple tradition dates the founding to 1348, when the monk Mutei Ryōshō, a leading disciple of Gasan Jōseki of Sōjiji, settled in the hills of Kuroishi. Under the second abbot, Gessen Ryōin, the community grew fast enough that Shohoji Temple was ranked as a "third head temple" of the school, alongside Eiheiji and Sōjiji. Shogunate religious policy stripped that rank in the early Edo period, yet the Date lords of the Sendai domain kept granting the temple land and buildings, treating it as a house apart.
What you see today was shaped by a fire in 1799. The gate came through it. The kitchen-and-office block and the main hall burned and were rebuilt within a dozen years, while the Buddha hall that should stand at the heart of a Zen compound was never replaced. The designation therefore pairs one survivor from before the fire with two enormous thatched buildings raised after it.
Why Shohoji Temple Is an Important Cultural Property
The three buildings were designated an Important Cultural Property on September 11, 1990. In its official note, the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the main hall, roughly 30 meters wide and 21 meters deep under thatch, for an interior of great breadth and bold carpentry that shows both the temple's standing and the traits of a Buddhist hall of the early modern period. The kuri is about 33 meters by 17 meters, another thatched giant of the same order. The gate was included so that the compound could be protected as a whole.
Oshu City adds two points. The main hall keeps an old form of the Sōtō Zen hattō, or dharma hall, and the Somon is the oldest surviving four-legged gate in Iwate Prefecture.
Also covered by the designation, as Tsuketari items, are a small bell tower and one set of drawings and specifications for rebuilding the main hall. The city's listing of the drawings refers to the rebuilding of a kyakuden, or guest hall, which suggests the building we now call the main hall was known by that name when it went up. The bell tower is a late Edo structure one bay square and two stories tall, with a Hōgyō-zukuri roof of Kokerabuki shingles. According to the temple, its bell is still struck at fixed hours every single day.
What to See at Shohoji Temple
The Somon gate
The Somon (惣門) at the entrance of Shohoji Temple is a Shikyakumon, two main posts braced front and back by four smaller ones, under a Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof. The temple attributes it to Nitta Sakubei, a master carpenter from Sendai, working in 1665. Serpentine stone steps run up to the gate and continue beyond it, and the gate and steps together give the clearest sense of how the temple approach looked before the fire.
The Agency's record and the temple both describe the roof as tochibuki, a covering of thick wooden boards. Oshu City's listing instead gives cedar bark, so the sources disagree on the roofing material.
The main hall (hattō)
Climb the second flight of steps and the main hall of Shohoji Temple fills the view. The temple calls it the hattō, the hall where the abbot preaches in place of the Buddha and the patriarchs, and it hosts the morning and evening sutra services and the yearly round of ceremonies.
The building measures 29.6 meters across and 21.0 meters deep. The temple gives the ridge height as about 26 meters and the footprint as about 769 square meters, and it describes the Irimoya-zukuri roof of Kayabuki thatch as one of the largest thatched roofs in Japan. Lean-to Hisashi eaves wrap the east, north and west sides, and roofed corridors run off to east and west. Those lower roofs are boarded or shingled, so a thin line of wood shows beneath the deep edge of the thatch.
Look up at the ridge. It carries three crests of the Date family: sparrows in bamboo, three horizontal bars, and nine circles. The Sendai domain's role as the temple's chief patron is written on the roof itself.
On the central Shumidan altar sits the principal image, Nyoirin Kannon, a hidden Buddha said to date from the late Kamakura period. A stand-in figure takes its place most of the year, and the original is shown each October 16 during the temple's prayer festival for Kumano Daigongen. Because the Buddha hall was never rebuilt, the Shaka triad that belongs there was moved into the western room of the main hall, where it remains. The eastern room holds a Nirvana painting about 4 meters tall and 5 meters wide, said to be a gift of the Date family, which is hung for the Nehan-e service on February 15.
The kuri
The kuri of Shohoji Temple, the monastery's kitchen and office building, measures 33.3 meters by 17.2 meters. It has a Yosemune-zukuri hipped roof of thatch, a partial upper floor, an entrance porch on the west side and shingled eaves on every face. The temple puts its floor area at close to 160 tsubo, and inside one roof it holds a reception room, the office that runs temple business and the former tenzo quarters where meals were prepared.
Between the earthen-floored entry and the old kitchen stands a shrine to Idaten, the guardian of monks, buildings and food, and sutras are chanted before it after morning service and whenever monks leave or return from alms rounds. In the Zuihōkaku room of the kuri, a reproduction of the Flying Dragon Kannon scroll, which is said to bring rain whenever it is unrolled, hangs in the alcove where ordinary visitors can see it.
The Agency's database dates the kuri to 1807. The Japanese Association for Conservation of Architectural Monuments records that same year as the first phase, with a second phase of work from the late Edo period into the early Meiji era. Oshu City's tourism page gives "around 1799," so the dating varies by source.
Visiting Shohoji Temple: Hours, Fees and Access
Shohoji Temple is open every day of the year. Visiting hours are 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. with last entry at 4:30 p.m.; between November and March the temple closes at 4:00 p.m. and last entry is 3:30 p.m. Admission is 500 yen for adults, 300 yen for junior high school students and 200 yen for younger children, with 10 percent off for groups of 30 or more (checked on the temple's website in October 2026).
Visitors are usually directed to enter through the kuri and follow covered corridors into the main hall and the founder's hall. To take in the pitch of the main hall's roof and the crests on its ridge, step down into the open garden in front of the hall and give yourself some distance. The monks' training hall is normally closed to the public.
The temple's website says nothing about photography inside the halls, so ask at the reception desk before taking pictures indoors.
A car or taxi is the practical way to reach Shohoji Temple. The temple's own directions give about 20 minutes by taxi from either JR Mizusawa Station on the Tōhoku Main Line or JR Mizusawa-Esashi Station on the Tōhoku Shinkansen, and about 23 minutes by car from the Mizusawa interchange of the Tōhoku Expressway. Wear sturdy shoes; the stone steps around the gate are uneven.
Q&A
- Which buildings at Shohoji Temple are Important Cultural Properties?
- The main hall, the kuri and the Somon gate of Shohoji Temple were designated together on September 11, 1990. A bell tower and one set of drawings and specifications for rebuilding the main hall are included as associated items.
- How big is the thatched roof of the Shohoji Temple main hall?
- The main hall of Shohoji Temple measures 29.6 by 21.0 meters. The temple gives a ridge height of about 26 meters and a footprint of about 769 square meters, and calls the roof one of the largest thatched roofs in Japan.
- What are the opening hours and admission fee at Shohoji Temple?
- Shohoji Temple is open every day, 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., closing at 4:00 p.m. between November and March. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. Admission is 500 yen for adults, 300 yen for junior high students and 200 yen for younger children.
- How do I get to Shohoji Temple from the nearest station?
- The temple recommends a taxi, about 20 minutes from either JR Mizusawa Station or JR Mizusawa-Esashi Station. By car it is about 23 minutes from the Mizusawa interchange of the Tōhoku Expressway.
- Why is the Somon gate of Shohoji Temple older than the other buildings?
- The Somon of Shohoji Temple was built in 1665 and survived the fire of 1799 that destroyed most of the compound. It is considered the oldest four-legged gate in Iwate Prefecture.
Basic Information
| Name | Shohoji Temple (Main Hall, Kuri and Somon Gate) |
|---|---|
| Location | 129 Shoboji, Mizusawa Kuroishi-cho, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | September 11, 1990 (Heisei 2) |
| Quantity | 3 buildings (with 1 associated bell tower and 1 set of drawings and specifications) |
| Dimensions | Main hall 29.6 m by 21.0 m; kuri 33.3 m by 17.2 m |
| Owner | Shohoji Temple |
| Public Access | Open to visitors year-round (admission charged) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Shohoji Main Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/97
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Shohoji Kuri
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/98
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Shohoji Somon
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/99
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shohoji Main Hall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/121107
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shohoji Kuri, Somon and Bell Tower
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/133468
- Shohoji Temple: Official Website (Japanese)
- https://shoboji.net/
- Shohoji Temple: About the Temple (Japanese)
- https://shoboji.net/about/
- Shohoji Temple: Precinct Guide (Japanese)
- https://shoboji.net/guide/
- Shohoji Temple: Access (Japanese)
- https://shoboji.net/access/
- Oshu City: Daibai Nengezan Entsu Shohoji (Japanese)
- https://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/kanko/osusume/4/3/3159.html
- Oshu City: Designated Tangible Cultural Properties (Japanese, PDF)
- https://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/material/files/group/79/1yuukeibunkazai.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.05
Cultural Treasures in the Same Area
All are within walking distance in the same area, so we recommend visiting them together.
- Shohoji Temple Somon 0.00 km
- Shohoji Temple kuri 0.07 km
- Shohoji Temple Main Hall 0.10 km