The Kannonji Temple Main Hall at Kotohiki
The Kannonji Temple Main Hall (観音寺金堂) is the main hall of Kannonji, Temple 69 of the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage, on the slopes of Mt Kotohiki at Yawata-cho, Kanonji City, Kagawa Prefecture; built in 1677, it is a hipped-roof Buddhist hall and was designated an Important Cultural Property on June 27, 1959 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a hall of three by four bays with a single roof, hipped, a one-bay entrance canopy and tiled in the hongawara style, owned by Kannonji.
One Temple, Two Pilgrimage Sites
According to the Kanonji City Tourism Association, the temple began about 1,300 years ago as Hokoin, founded by the Hosso monk Nissho as the shrine-temple of Kotohiki Hachimangu; in 807 Kobo Daishi built a full temple complex and renamed it Kannonji of Mt Shippo.
When Shinto and Buddhism were separated in the early Meiji era, the Amida image from Kotohiki Hachimangu was moved into the temple's west hall, which became Temple 68, Jinnein. The precinct is therefore the only one on the Shikoku pilgrimage that holds two numbered temples (Kanonji City Tourism Association). The Kannonji Temple Main Hall is the hall of Temple 69.
Value as an Important Cultural Property
The Kannonji Temple Main Hall was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1959, under designation number 01442 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Tourism Shikoku presents the Kannonji Temple Main Hall as a hall with vivid vermilion pillars and dates it to the Muromachi period; the Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1677.
What to Look For
The Kannonji Temple Main Hall is three bays wide with a hipped roof of hongawara tiles and a one-bay canopy over the front steps (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Tourism Shikoku notes that the temple's treasure hall holds many Important Cultural Properties, including a reclining Buddha in a shrine cabinet and an illustrated history of Kotohiki Shrine.
Visiting
The Kannonji Temple Main Hall is open to worshippers as the hall of a pilgrimage temple. The address is 1-2-7 Yawata-cho, Kanonji City, about 8 minutes by taxi from JR Kanonji Station, with parking (Kanonji City Tourism Association).
Kannonji lies within Kotohiki Park, which also holds Kotohiki Hachimangu and the Zenigata Sand Painting, a giant coin drawn in sand (Kanonji City).
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1677, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- What kind of building is it?
- A three-by-four-bay hall with a hipped, tiled roof and a front canopy (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What does "one temple, two sites" mean?
- Temples 68 (Jinnein) and 69 (Kannonji) of the Shikoku pilgrimage share one precinct, the only such case (Kanonji City Tourism Association).
- Can visitors worship there?
- Yes, it is the main hall of pilgrimage Temple 69 (Kanonji City Tourism Association).
- When was the Kannonji Temple Main Hall designated?
- On June 27, 1959.
Basic Information
| Name | Kannonji Temple Main Hall (観音寺金堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-2-7 Yawata-cho, Kanonji City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1959/06/27 (Showa 34) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Three by four bays, single roof, hipped, one-bay front canopy, hongawara tile roof |
| Owner | Kannonji |
| Public Access | Open to worshippers as a pilgrimage temple hall |
References
- Kannonji Temple Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/3290
- Jinnein and Kannonji (Kanonji City Tourism Association)
- https://kanonji-kanko.jp/jinnein-kannonji/
- Temple 69, Kannonji (Tourism Shikoku)
- https://shikoku-tourism.com/spot/24120
- Kotohiki Park (Kanonji City)
- https://www.city.kanonji.kagawa.jp/soshiki/21/1467.html
Last verified: 2026.10.11