About Shorenji Temple (Sakaide)
Shorenji Temple (Sakaide) is the group of buildings of Shorenji, a temple of the Shin (True Pure Land) school at the western foot of the Goshikidai uplands in Kamo-cho, Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture; five structures, from the mid-Edo gate to the bell tower of 1910, were registered together as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (structures) on March 29, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the five as the gate (mid-Edo period), the Main Hall (1825), the entrance halls (1845), the sutra repository (1879) and the bell tower (1910), all owned by Shorenji.
Five Structures
The gate toward the west end of the south side is a yakuimon of massive flat-sectioned posts under a gabled hongawara roof, valued by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as conveying the mid-Edo building style of the precinct. Beside it, facing each other across the approach, stand the hexagonal storehouse-style sutra repository and the open bell tower with its hip-and-gable roof, together forming the front of the precinct. The repository porch is carved with animals, and the bell tower is in the Zen style with dense bracketing and fan rafters (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Main Hall faces south under a hip-and-gable hongawara roof, its porch carved with dragons, baku and carp in waves; the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a fine example of a late Edo Shin Buddhist main hall in Sanuki. On its east side, the gable-entry main entrance hall with a formal step platform and the small entrance hall that doubles as a corridor lead on to the priests' quarters, giving the precinct a stately appearance (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting and Location
Shorenji is a working temple; please visit quietly, without disturbing worshippers or the temple.
The address is 1048 and others, Kamo-cho, Sakaide City. Each building is described in its own article.
References
- Shorenji Temple Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012836
- Shorenji Temple Bell Tower (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012834
- Shorenji Temple Sutra Repository (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012835
- Shorenji Temple Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012832
- 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
Basic Information
| Name | Shorenji Temple (Sakaide) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1048 and others, Kamo-cho, Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Owner | Shorenji |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (5) |
| Coordinates | 34.31172, 133.91462 |
