A Small Hall Built From Muromachi Timbers
The Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall (本山寺大日堂, Motoyama-ji Dainichi-do) is a mid-Edo-period Buddhist hall 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. It is named for Dainichi Nyorai, the cosmic Buddha at the centre of Shingon esoteric Buddhism, and is also known locally as the Akado, the Red Hall.
It stands on a raised stone platform just west of the Main Hall, facing south. With a building area of 16 square metres it is one of the smaller registered buildings at Motoyamaji, yet its date is the most tangled to unpick.
Why It Was Registered
The registration criterion is contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs judges from their weathering that the hall's thick round pillars and its three-block brackets with bolsters are Muromachi-period timbers, while the Nageshi rails and the ceiling are slender. It concludes that the hall was put together in the mid-18th century, reusing older material.
In other words, the Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall carries the pillars and brackets of a Muromachi hall inside an Edo-period rebuild. Most buildings around the Main Hall are Edo-period new builds, so this one, still holding medieval members, is key to reading the history of the precinct.
What to Look For
The plan is three bays square under a pyramidal Hōgyō-zukuri roof of Hongawarabuki tile, its four slopes rising to a single point. Inside is a single room with an altar platform in the rear bay and a Saobuchi-tenjō ceiling of thin battens.
Compare the pillars with the horizontal members. The round pillars are clearly thick for so small a building, their surfaces worn by long exposure, while the nageshi linking them are much thinner. The mismatch in scale within one building is the difference in date made visible.
On top of the pillars sit Mitsudo-gumi brackets, three bearing blocks in a row, topped with a bolster. These too are thought to be Muromachi timbers, so look up at them together with the pillars.
Visiting
The exterior of the Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall can be viewed freely from the temple grounds. The temple publishes no information about interior viewing, so a visit centres on the outside. Because it sits on a raised platform, you look up at it from below.
With the front facing south, daylight falls squarely on the facade and the weathering on the round pillars is easy to see. For the shadows of the brackets, come in the morning or afternoon when the light is at an angle. We found no official rule against photographing the exterior, but please take care not to disturb worshippers and follow any signs on site.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall
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Q&A
- When was the Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall built, and when was it registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Edo period, reassembled in the mid-18th century from older Muromachi material. It was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 December 2014, under registration number 37-0410.
- Why is the Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall called the Red Hall?
- The Shikoku pilgrimage association and Mitoyo City both give Akado, the Red Hall, as another name for the Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall. We could find no official explanation of the name.
- Which parts of the Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall are Muromachi-period?
- The thick round pillars and the three-block brackets with bolsters are judged from their weathering to be Muromachi timbers. The slender rails and ceiling are thought to date from the Edo-period rebuild.
- Can you go inside the Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall?
- The temple publishes no information about interior viewing, so visitors generally see the outside. It stands on a raised platform west of the Main Hall facing south, and the pillars and brackets are visible from the grounds.
- What does the Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall look like?
- It is a small hall three bays square under a pyramidal tiled roof. Inside is a single room with an altar in the rear bay and a batten ceiling. The building area is 16 square metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Motoyamaji Dainichi Hall (本山寺大日堂) |
|---|---|
| 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 16 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 Dainichi Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010370
- 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
