The Wall That Turns Corners Beside the Gate
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall is a timber and tile wall in Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, built in 1936 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010.
It runs north and south from the Imperial Envoy Gate, reaching the guardhouse in one direction and a service entrance in the other, changing direction along the way for a total length of 61 metres.
Its footing changes with the ground. Where the wall meets the moat it rises straight off the stone revetment; elsewhere it sits on a dressed stone base built for it. The height varies too: 2.7 metres in the wing sections flanking the gate, 2.3 metres along the rest. Standing taller nearer the gate tells you what Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall is for.
Five Horizontal Lines
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, as number 37-0353.
The coping is laid in Hongawarabuki tiles. Across the face of the wall run five horizontal lines, a device called jogisuji. The Agency for Cultural Affairs description reads these five lines as an indication of rank, so they function less as decoration than as a marker of status. How much regard a temple gave to an ancillary structure like a boundary wall shows up in exactly this sort of detail.
The 19 listed structures at Tanjoin include walls, bridges and stonework alongside the gates and halls. This wall is one component of a continuous frontage that also takes in the Imperial Envoy Gate, the guardhouse, the bridge and the moat revetment, and it makes far more sense viewed as part of that stretch than on its own.
What to Look For
Walk the pavement along the moat and follow the top of the wall with your eye. It steps up in the wing sections beside the gate and drops again beyond them. The difference is only 40 centimetres, but the shift in the tile courses makes it easy to catch.
The base rewards attention as well. Along the moat the foot of the wall continues straight into the stone revetment, and the vertical stack of stone, plaster and tile is the clearest thing to read about Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall. The five lines across the face show up best in early or late light, when shadows pick them out.
Visiting Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall
The wall stands on the eastern side of the grounds, facing a public road. Its full length can be taken in from outside even when the gates are shut, so the time of day hardly matters.
A wall has no interior, and no ticket or reception desk applies; the only paid admissions at the temple are the underground passage and the treasure house. Nothing is posted about photography, and shooting from the road side raises no difficulty. Leaning on the wall or touching the tiles is best avoided.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall
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Q&A
- How long is Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall?
- 61 metres including the turns. It runs from the guardhouse in the north to a service entrance in the south, passing the Imperial Envoy Gate.
- Is Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall the same height throughout?
- No. The wing sections beside the gate stand 2.7 metres high, the remaining stretches 2.3 metres.
- What are the lines on Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall?
- Horizontal bands called jogisuji. Five of them run across this wall, and the official description takes them as a sign of rank.
- Where can Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall be seen?
- From the public road on the eastern edge of the precinct, with no need to pass a reception desk.
- When was Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall built?
- In 1936, the same year as the Imperial Envoy Gate, the bridge beside it and the guardhouse.
Basic Information
| Name | Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-615 Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber construction, tiled roof, 61 metres long |
| Owner | Zentsuji Religious Corporation |
| Public Access | Visible at any time from the public road |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008185
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Zentsuji Tanjoin Imperial Envoy Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008184
- Sohonzan Zentsuji: Highlights of the Grounds
- https://zentsuji.com/keidai/
Last verified: 2026.09.14
