Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Kagawa

Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Enma Hall and Connecting Corridor

A 1940s Passage at Zentsuji With a Hall Under Its North Slope

A five-bay wooden passage at Zentsuji Tanjoin in Kagawa, built about 1940, with a one-bay Enma hall under its north roof slope. Registered in 2010, 21 square metres.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Kagawa

A Corridor That Holds a Hall

The Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Enma Hall and Connecting Corridor (善通寺誕生院閻魔堂及び渡廊下) is a single-storey timber building of about 1940 at Zentsuji, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, which in 2010 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

It is a covered corridor linking the goma hall with the Shinran hall to its east. It is five bays long and one bay deep, with a gabled pantiled roof, and has a building area of just 21 square metres.

What sets it apart is that it is more than a passage. The central three bays are open on the south, while on the north the roof is carried straight down to form an Enma hall one bay deep, fronted by top-hinged lattice shutters. The single bays at each end have exposed-post walls with slatted windows on the north and low walls on the south. A space for walking and a space for worship are divided under one roof.

Why It Was Registered

The Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Enma Hall and Connecting Corridor was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape, under registration number 37-0346. It was one of 19 buildings of the Tanjoin registered together on 28 April 2010.

Its value lies less in any elaborate design of its own. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points out that its posts and window details closely match those of the goma hall corridor, giving unity to the buildings along the north side of the precinct. The goma hall, Jizo hall and Shoreiden, and the corridors joining them, appear to have been planned together as one sequence at about the same time.

What to Look For

The best view is from the south. Behind the three open bays the interior of the Enma hall is visible, and when the shutters are raised the eye reaches inside. Because the roof comes down without a break, the boundary between corridor and hall shows only as a change in pitch; following this continuous roofline is the quickest way to understand the Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Enma Hall and Connecting Corridor.

From the north the impression changes. Slatted windows are set in regular rows in the white exposed-post walls, a closed face contrasting with the openness of the south side. Seen from the north, the arrangement of walls at the two ends and an open centre becomes clear.

Visiting

The Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Enma Hall and Connecting Corridor stands northeast of the Miedo and east of the goma hall. Visitors pass in front of it naturally when walking the precinct, and no permission is needed to view it from outside.

Zentsuji publishes opening hours for the Kondo and Miedo, but not for entering this corridor. The passage is often open to walk through, but it is used during services, when it can only be viewed from outside. No notice about photography is posted, so if you want to photograph the interior, ask at the reception in the Miedo.

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Q&A

QWhen was the Enma Hall and Connecting Corridor built?: AAround 1940, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs database, at the same time as the goma hall and Jizo hall.

QCan I go inside?: AEntry to the hall is not offered. The corridor can sometimes be walked through, but the building is mainly viewed from outside.

QWhere is it?: AIn the northeast of the Tanjoin, the western precinct of Zentsuji, between the goma hall and the Shinran hall; walk round the north side of the Miedo to reach it.

QWhat is its highlight?: AThe way a hall is slotted into the north side of a corridor under a continuous roof: open from the south, a wall of slatted windows from the north.

QIs there an admission fee?: ANo fee is needed to see this building. Fees apply only to the kaidan-meguri under the Miedo and the treasure hall.

Basic Information

Name	Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Enma Hall and Connecting Corridor (善通寺誕生院閻魔堂及び渡廊下)
Location	3-615 Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, and other lots
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building)
Year Designated	Registered 2010 (Heisei 22)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Single-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 21 square metres
Owner	Zentsuji Religious Corporation
Public Access	Exterior viewable at any time; no interior access offered