A Square Hall Behind the Mieido
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden is a single-storey wooden Buddhist hall in Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, built in 1936 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010.
It stands at the centre of the Tanjoin precinct facing east, joined to the larger Mieido Hall in front of it by a short covered link. The plan is three bays square, the roof is Hōgyō-zukuri pyramidal in Hongawarabuki tiles, and the building covers 98 square metres.
The temple relates that when the Saeki family residence stood here, this spot held the room of Kukai's mother. The dark underground passage that runs beneath the Mieido Hall reaches its midpoint directly below Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden.
A Front Bay Treated Like a Shrine Cabinet
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, as number 37-0339, the first in the run of numbers given to the 19 Tanjoin structures.
The detailing repays attention. A veranda wraps all four sides, every post is round rather than square, the bracket sets are of the Mitsudo-gumi type, and a Kaerumata frog-leg strut decorates the central bay. The centre of the front elevation is the exception to everything else: there a curved gable roof projects, and the bay is finished like a cabinet made to hold an image, carved and painted. The Agency for Cultural Affairs description calls the effect delicate and graceful.
Where the Mieido Hall in front is a plain building enclosing a wide space for worship, the hall behind it is small and densely worked. The two divide the work between them.
What to Look For
Concentrate on the central front bay. The bays to either side keep a level eaves line while the middle one bulges forward in a curve. All the carving and colour is packed into a single bay width, so it reads better from close under the veranda than from across the courtyard.
Check the roof as well. A pyramidal roof brings its four slopes to a single point, which follows directly from the square three-bay plan. After the crossing gables of the Mieido Hall, the simplicity of the roof on Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden stands out all the more.
Visiting Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden
Because the hall sits behind the Mieido Hall, there is no head-on view of it. To see the building, walk around the north or south flank of the larger hall and take it at an angle.
No interior visit is offered. Anyone who buys a ticket for the underground passage will nonetheless pass directly beneath the hall at the darkest point of the walk; that ticket, which also covers the treasure house, costs 700 yen for adults and 300 yen for school students, with the desk closing at 4:30 p.m. Nothing is posted about cameras, so ask at the desk inside the Mieido Hall before photographing at close range.
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Q&A
- What kind of building is Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden?
- A wooden hall three bays square with a pyramidal tiled roof, covering 98 square metres. It was built in 1936 and stands behind the Mieido Hall.
- Can visitors enter Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden?
- The interior is not open. The underground passage beneath the Mieido Hall does pass directly under the building, however.
- Why is the site of Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden significant?
- The temple holds that the room of Kukai's mother stood on this spot when the Saeki family residence occupied the precinct. It is a temple tradition rather than a documented fact.
- Where is the best view of Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden?
- From an oblique position reached around the north or south side of the Mieido Hall, where the curved gable and carving of the central bay are visible.
- When was Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden registered?
- On 28 April 2010, together with the other 18 structures at Tanjoin. Its number, 37-0339, heads the sequence.
Basic Information
| Name | Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden |
|---|---|
| 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 98 square metres |
| Owner | Zentsuji Religious Corporation |
| Public Access | Exterior visible at any time; no interior visit offered |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Okuden
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008171
- Sohonzan Zentsuji: Highlights of the Grounds
- https://zentsuji.com/keidai/
- Sohonzan Zentsuji: Opening Hours and Admission
- https://zentsuji.com/opening-hours-and-admission/
Last verified: 2026.09.14
