Shorenji Temple Bell Tower

A Zen-Style Bell Tower of 1910

The Shorenji Temple Bell Tower (正蓮寺鐘楼) is a timber bell tower of 1910 facing east beside the west side of the gate at the front of the precinct of Shorenji, a Shin Buddhist temple at Kamo-cho, Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 29, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tiled timber structure with an area of 8.9 square metres, registration number 37-441, 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 Bell Tower faces the sutra repository across the approach and gives a firm edge to the front of the precinct (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Value as a Registered Cultural Property

The Shorenji Temple Bell Tower was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs praises it as a well-proportioned building in the Zen style that gives a firm edge to the front of the precinct.

What to Look For

According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Shorenji Temple Bell Tower is an open bell tower with a hip-and-gable roof of hongawara tiles. Curved square pillars lean slightly inward on a coursed stone base, braced by three tiers of tie beams.

The bracketing is a three-stepped set with double tail rafters placed between the pillars as well, and the eaves have double fan-shaped rafters (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The dense bracketing and fan rafters are the highlights.

Visiting

The Shorenji Temple Bell Tower 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).