Entrance Halls of 1845

The Shorenji Temple Main and Small Entrance Halls (正蓮寺大玄関及び小玄関) are timber entrance halls of 1845 joined to the east side of the Main Hall of Shorenji, a Shin Buddhist temple at Kamo-cho, Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture, and were registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 29, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey wooden building with a tiled roof and a building area of 89 square metres, altered around 1953 and in 2015, registration number 37-440, owned by Shorenji.

Shorenji, a Shin Buddhist Temple below Goshikidai

According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Shorenji is a temple of the Shin (True Pure Land) school at the western foot of the Goshikidai uplands in western Sakaide. Five of its structures, the mid-Edo gate, the Main Hall of 1825, the entrance halls of 1845, the sutra repository of 1879 and the bell tower of 1910, were registered together as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 29, 2019.

The Shorenji Temple Main and Small Entrance Halls link the Main Hall and the priests' quarters, and with them give the precinct a stately appearance (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Value as a Registered Cultural Property

The Shorenji Temple Main and Small Entrance Halls was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, standing with the Main Hall and priests' quarters, they give the precinct a stately appearance.

What to Look For

According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Shorenji Temple Main and Small Entrance Halls adjoin the east side of the Main Hall, with the gable-entry main entrance hall under a hip-and-gable roof on the west and the small entrance hall under a simple pitched roof on the east, joined on its east face to the priests' quarters.

The main entrance hall has a formal step platform with 3 rooms in a row behind it, the innermost a reception room; the small entrance hall doubles as a corridor, with a waiting room behind (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

The Shorenji Temple Main and Small Entrance Halls is a temple building in the precinct of Shorenji. Please visit quietly, without disturbing worshippers or the temple.

The address is 1048 and others, Kamo-cho, Sakaide City. The five registered structures of Shorenji are gathered on the group page Shorenji Temple (Sakaide).

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Q&A

QWhen were they built?
AIn 1845 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
QWhere are they?
AJoined to the east side of the Main Hall, linking on to the priests' quarters (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
QHow are they arranged?
AA gable-entry main entrance hall on the west and a small pitched-roof entrance hall on the east (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
QWhat else at Shorenji is registered?
AFive structures were registered together: the gate, bell tower, sutra repository, Main Hall and entrance halls (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
QWhen were the Shorenji Temple Main and Small Entrance Halls registered?
AOn March 29, 2019.

Basic Information

NameShorenji Temple Main and Small Entrance Halls (正蓮寺大玄関及び小玄関)
Location1048 and others, Kamo-cho, Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture
DesignationRegistered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure)
Year DesignatedRegistered 2019/03/29 (Heisei 31)
Quantity1 building
DimensionsWooden, single storey, tiled roof, building area 89 square metres
OwnerShorenji
Public AccessTemple precinct (exterior viewable when visiting)

References

Shorenji Temple Main and Small Entrance Halls (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012833

Last verified: 2026.10.14