A 1795 Hall Facing West Across the Forecourt
The Motoyamaji Daishi Hall (本山寺大師堂, Motoyama-ji Daishi-do) is a Buddhist hall built in 1795 within the grounds of Motoyamaji Temple in Motoyama, Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture, and was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 December 2014. At every temple on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage there are two places of prayer: the main hall, which houses the principal image, and the daishi-do, dedicated to Kobo Daishi, the posthumous title of the monk Kukai who is said to have founded the route. Pilgrims pray at both before going to the stamp office.
The hall stands southeast of the Main Hall and faces west. Directly opposite, facing east, is the Juo Hall, so the two buildings frame the forecourt from either side. The Motoyamaji Daishi Hall covers 104 square metres and was renovated in 1883.
Why It Was Registered
The registration criterion is contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points out a telling contrast: the pillars are plain, square posts with chamfered corners, yet the bracketing is a projecting one-step type (demitsudo), the spaces between the pillars carry intermediate brackets, and the eaves are finished with a slanted board ceiling. The Agency concludes that the building shows what the rebuilding of this precinct actually looked like.
Motoyamaji rebuilt its halls around the medieval Main Hall over the middle and later Edo period, and the Daishi Hall belongs to the later part of that campaign, from the years when the pilgrims' circuit through the grounds was taking its settled form.
What to Look For
The plan is three bays square, under a hip-and-gable roof of Hongawarabuki tile, with a one-bay Kōhai porch at the front. Inside, the front two bays form the worshippers' Gejin and the rear bay the Naijin sanctuary, both under a coffered Gō-tenjō ceiling.
Look for the additions, too. The porch and a projection at the back were added later, so the hall first stood as a plain three-bay square without a porch. From the side you can trace where the original roof meets the later extension.
The real interest is under the eaves. The Kumimono brackets step out once from the pillar tops, small three-block brackets fill the gaps between pillars, and behind the Taruki rafters a Shirin board ceiling slants up to the wall. With such simple pillars, it is clear the builders chose to spend their effort overhead.
Visiting
The exterior of the Motoyamaji Daishi Hall can be viewed freely from the temple grounds. The temple publishes no information about interior viewing, so a visit centres on the outside. Pilgrims often chant sutras in front of the hall, so avoid lingering directly in front of it.
The brackets and slanted eave boards are easiest to read looking up at an angle from beside the porch. Because the hall faces west, afternoon light reaches under the eaves and brings out the shadows of the bracketing. We found no official rule against photographing the exterior, but please keep chanting pilgrims out of your frame and follow any signs on site.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Motoyamaji Daishi Hall
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Q&A
- When was the Motoyamaji Daishi Hall built, and when was it registered?
- It was built in 1795 and renovated in 1883. It was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 December 2014, under registration number 37-0408.
- What is enshrined in the Motoyamaji Daishi Hall?
- As at every temple on the Shikoku pilgrimage, the daishi-do is dedicated to Kobo Daishi (Kukai). Pilgrims pray here as well as at the Main Hall.
- Can you go inside the Motoyamaji Daishi Hall?
- The temple publishes no information about interior viewing, so visitors generally see the outside. The bracketing and slanted eave boards are all visible from the grounds.
- Where is the Motoyamaji Daishi Hall within the temple grounds?
- It stands southeast of the Main Hall, facing west. Entering through the Nio Gate on the south side, it is on your right as you approach the Main Hall; the Juo Hall faces it from the left.
- What are the architectural highlights of the Motoyamaji Daishi Hall?
- A three-bay-square hall with a hip-and-gable tiled roof and a one-bay porch, it pairs plain chamfered pillars with a carefully finished eave: projecting brackets, intermediate brackets between the pillars and a slanted board ceiling under the rafters. The porch and rear projection are later additions.
Basic Information
| Name | Motoyamaji Daishi Hall (本山寺大師堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1760-1 Shinden, Motoyama-ko, Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2014/12/19 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof, building area 104 square metres |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Motoyamaji |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the temple grounds; no admission fee |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Motoyamaji Daishi Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010368
- Mitoyo City: List of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.mitoyo.lg.jp/kakuka/kyouikuiinkai/shogai/3_1/history_bunnkazai/13938.html
- Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage Association: Shippozan Jihoin Motoyamaji (Japanese)
- https://88shikokuhenro.jp/70motoyamaji/
Last verified: 2026.09.26
