The Stone Edge of the Precinct
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Gokurakubori Stonework is a stone revetment and fence in Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, built in 1889 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010.
A moat known as the Gokurakubori runs along the eastern edge of the Tanjoin precinct, 1.3 metres deep, 6.5 metres wide and 90 metres from north to south. The listing covers the dressed stone piled up around it as a retaining wall, which extends 193 metres in total.
On the street side the wall carries a stone fence: square balusters set on a base course, with a thicker post every sixth one and cap stones laid between them. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the result a solidly built frontage. The boundary between the precinct and the town is drawn not by a hedge or a plaster wall but by cut stone.
A Listing That Is Not a Building
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Gokurakubori Stonework was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, as number 37-0354. It is counted as one structure rather than one building.
The 19 Tanjoin entries take in walls, bridges, a storehouse and this stonework alongside the halls and gates. Reading them together, the registration clearly treats the moated block as a single piece of landscape rather than a set of individually distinguished buildings. The two bridges over the moat and the small shrine standing in the water all depend on this stonework holding the water line in place.
The date of 1889 puts it among the older entries in the group, alongside the Nio Gate of the same year. Most of the halls were rebuilt in the 1930s, but the outline of the precinct has kept its Meiji-period form.
What to Look For
From the pavement, watch the thickness of the balusters. Slender uprights run in a rhythm broken by a heavier post at every sixth position, which is where the structure takes its load. The cap stones bridging the gaps between posts keep rain off the joints below.
Then look down to the waterline. The blocks are squared and laid up from the water, so the moat has the clean section of a box. Since Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Gokurakubori Stonework runs for 193 metres, walking north to south while following the coursing of the joints gives a good sense of how much stonecutting the job took.
Visiting Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Gokurakubori Stonework
The stonework lies on the eastern edge of the grounds, facing a public road. The whole length can be taken in from the pavement before entering the precinct, which makes it a natural first and last stop. It remains visible from outside even when the gates are shut.
There is no interior and no ticket to consider, since the moat itself is off limits. Nothing is posted about photography, and shooting from the road side presents no difficulty. Climbing onto the stonework or the fence should be avoided.
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Q&A
- What is Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Gokurakubori Stonework?
- The stone revetment and fence around the moat on the east side of Tanjoin, 193 metres long, built in 1889 and registered as one structure rather than a building.
- How large is the moat at Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Gokurakubori Stonework?
- The Gokurakubori is 1.3 metres deep, 6.5 metres wide and 90 metres long from north to south. The retaining walls around it make up the listed structure.
- Where can Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Gokurakubori Stonework be seen?
- From the public road along the eastern boundary. Anyone walking to the Nio Gate or the Imperial Envoy Gate passes it.
- What should visitors notice at Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Gokurakubori Stonework?
- The rhythm of the fence, with a thicker post every sixth baluster and cap stones spanning between them, and the coursing of the squared blocks down to the water.
- Is there a charge to see Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Gokurakubori Stonework?
- No. It stands on the street frontage and needs no ticket or reception desk.
Basic Information
| Name | Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Gokurakubori Stonework |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-615 Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone construction, 193 metres long, with stone fence |
| 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 Gokurakubori Stonework
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008186
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Zentsuji Tanjoin Benten Shrine
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008187
- Sohonzan Zentsuji: Highlights of the Grounds
- https://zentsuji.com/keidai/
Last verified: 2026.09.14
