The Gate before the Guest Hall
The Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse (萩原寺大門及び番所) is a temple gate and guardhouse of the late Edo period (1830 to 1868) in Hagiwara, Onohara-cho, Kannonji City, Kagawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 19, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records construction in the late Edo period; the gate is timber with a tile roof, 3.3 metres wide, with side walls and a wicket door, and the guardhouse is a single-storey timber building with a tile roof and a building area of 18 square metres; registration number 37-0406.
A Four-Legged Gate and Its Guardhouse
The Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse stands in the residential compound on the west side of the precinct, directly in front of the guest hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The gate (omon) is a four-legged Shikyakumon with a gabled roof of interlocking pantiles; side walls (Sodobei) extend left and right, and a wicket door (Kugurido) opens in them.
It is built of zelkova, with dense carving at key points, including the Oigata ornaments of the gable and scrolled patterns on the beams. To the north stands the guardhouse, 3 bays by 2 bays (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency notes that the carving shows the character of its period well, and that gate and guardhouse together give the entrance to the compound a stern, formal air.
The council report describes the same scene: the Great Gate, attended by its guardhouse, opening in front of the guest hall. Gate, guardhouse and hall form a single formal front for the residential compound.
What to Look For
At the Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse, look up at the gable ends of the gate, where the carving gathers in the oigata ornaments and the scrolled beam ends (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The grain of the zelkova is visible close up.
Note how the side walls, the wicket door and the guardhouse to the north work together to guard the entrance. Through the gate the thatched guest hall comes into view.
Visiting
The Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse marks the entrance to the residential compound, and the exterior can be seen from in front of the gate. No official information was found on access to the guardhouse. The south gate and earthen wall continue to the south. Directions to the temple and its yearly events are gathered on the Hagiwaraji Temple page.
Q&A
- When was the Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse built?
- In the late Edo period (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What type of gate is the Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate?
- A four-legged gate with a gabled tile roof, flanked by side walls with a wicket door (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the carving on the Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse?
- On the gable ornaments and beam ends of the gate (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is the guardhouse of the Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse?
- Just north of the gate; it is 3 bays by 2 bays (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse registered?
- On December 19, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse (萩原寺大門及び番所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2742-1 Hagiwara, Onohara-cho, Kannonji City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered December 19, 2014 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Gate: timber, tile roof, 3.3 m wide, with side walls and wicket door / Guardhouse: single-storey timber, tile roof, building area 18 m² |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Hagiwaraji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from in front of the gate |
References
- Hagiwaraji Temple Great Gate and Guardhouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010366
- Registration of Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures), Council for Cultural Affairs report of July 18, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/bunkasingi_tousin_140718.pdf
Last verified: 2026.11.01
