Two Roofing Materials on One Building
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall is a single-storey wooden Buddhist hall in Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, built in 1940 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010.
It stands immediately north of the Mieido Hall, joined to it by a three-bay covered passage. The plan is three bays across the front and four deep, the interior divides into an inner and outer sanctuary, and a finely gridded coffered ceiling runs overhead. The building covers 118 square metres.
The roof is the point of interest. The main roof is a Hōgyō-zukuri pyramid sheathed in copper, but a lower pent roof, a mokoshi, wraps all four sides, and that one is laid in Hiwadabuki cypress bark. Above the central bay of the front the pent roof is cut up and returns to copper. This is why the official record describes the structure as roofed in both copper and cypress bark.
Judged Well Composed
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, as number 37-0342.
The posts are square, the bracket arms boat-shaped, the eaves carried on a single tier of widely spaced rafters. Nothing is piled on. The Agency for Cultural Affairs description calls the hall well composed, and its dignity comes from proportion and pitch rather than ornament. The Goma Hall, built the same year a short distance away, takes the opposite approach with its deeply carved detailing.
Cypress bark roofing is laid in overlapping layers of stripped bark and costs far more in labour than tile or sheet copper. Choosing it for the pent roof of a building put up in 1940 says something about the standing of this hall within the precinct.
What to Look For
Stand in front and follow the eaves line left to right. On either side the bark-covered pent roof runs low and level; over the centre bay it lifts, and the surface changes to copper. The entrance is announced by the shape of the roof rather than by any doorway detail.
Up close, the two materials are easy to tell apart. The cut edge of cypress bark shows as fine horizontal striations built up in layers, while the copper reads as a smooth plane. Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall is one of the few places where the two sit side by side on a single building.
Visiting Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall
The hall is the immediate neighbour of the Mieido Hall to the north, and walking round from the forecourt brings its front elevation into view. Since a passage links the two, they can also be read as one mass.
No interior visit is offered. The only ticketed interiors at the temple are the underground passage and the treasure house, both handled at the desk inside the Mieido Hall. Nothing is posted about photography, so that desk is the place to ask before shooting into the building.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall
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Q&A
- Why does Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall have two kinds of roofing?
- The main pyramidal roof is copper while the pent roof around the sides is cypress bark. Over the central front bay the pent roof lifts and returns to copper.
- Where is Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall?
- Directly north of the Mieido Hall, connected to it by a three-bay covered passage.
- Can visitors enter Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall?
- The interior is not open to visitors. The front and flank can be seen from the grounds.
- How large is Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall?
- Three bays wide and four deep, covering 118 square metres, with the interior split into inner and outer sanctuaries.
- When was Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall registered?
- On 28 April 2010, as number 37-0342, among the 19 Tanjoin structures listed together that day.
Basic Information
| Name | Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Shoryoden Hall |
|---|---|
| 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, copper and cypress bark roof, building area 118 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 Shoryoden Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008174
- 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
