A One-Room Building Beside the Gate
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse is a single-storey wooden building in Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, built in 1936 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010.
It stands just south of the Nio Gate, aligned north to south, measuring 4.0 metres by 2.3 metres for a floor area of 9.3 square metres. The roof is Irimoya-zukuri hipped and gabled with a slight upward curve, laid in Hongawarabuki tiles.
The walls are Shinkabe plaster with exposed posts, boarded at the base in Shitami-itabari. Inside is a single undivided room floored with Tatami mats. A banjo of this kind existed to watch the entrance and deal with callers, and Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse takes its place between the gate and the boundary wall as part of the front that Tanjoin presents to the street.
Function Written in the Windows
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, as number 37-0351.
The openings are the telling detail. Windows are not distributed evenly around the four walls: projecting lattice windows appear only in the half bay on the east side nearest the gate and on the north wall facing it, each sheltered by a small copper hood. They open exactly along the sightlines from a seated occupant to the gate and the approach. The use of the building is legible in where its windows are.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs description notes that the building helps compose the front elevation of the precinct. It went up in 1936 along with the boundary wall, the Imperial Envoy Gate and the bridge, so the whole eastern frontage was put together in a single campaign.
What to Look For
A floor area of 9.3 square metres is about the size of a six-mat room. Even so, the roof is a full hipped and gabled form in heavy tile, with a gentle upward curve worked into it. Choosing a formal roof at a scale where something simpler would have served says a good deal about the standing of the job the building did.
Come close to the lattice windows. The lattice projects from the wall face and a small copper hood sits over it, so tile and copper meet within a couple of metres. Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse is small enough that a few steps take you from the front to the side and through every detail in turn.
Visiting Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse
The building adjoins the south side of the Nio Gate, so anyone passing through the gate walks right by it. From the public road along the moat the rear and the roof are visible.
The interior is a working room and is not open. The temple's paid admissions cover only the underground passage and the treasure house, handled inside the Mieido Hall, and this building is not included. Nothing is posted about photography, so keep to the exterior and ask at that desk if unsure.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse
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Q&A
- What was Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse for?
- Watching the entrance and receiving callers. It sits south of the Nio Gate with windows opening only towards the gate and the approach.
- How big is Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse?
- 4.0 metres by 2.3 metres, a floor area of 9.3 square metres, with a single matted room inside.
- Can visitors enter Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse?
- No. The exterior can be seen both from beside the gate and from the public road along the moat.
- What should visitors notice at Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse?
- The projecting lattice windows on the east and north sides and the small copper hoods above them, set against the tiled roof.
- When was Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse built?
- In 1936, the same year as the boundary wall, the Imperial Envoy Gate and the bridge beside it.
Basic Information
| Name | Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-615 Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey wooden structure, tiled roof, building area 9.3 square metres, 4.0 by 2.3 metres |
| Owner | Zentsuji Religious Corporation |
| Public Access | Interior closed; exterior visible at any time |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Guardhouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008183
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Taikobei Wall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008185
- Sohonzan Zentsuji: Map of the Grounds
- https://zentsuji.com/keidai/map/
Last verified: 2026.09.14
