A Two-Storey Store With Nothing Added
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse is a two-storey plastered storehouse in Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, built during the Taisho period between 1912 and 1925 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010.
It stands at the southwest corner of the precinct, aligned north to south. The Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof in Sangawara-buki pantiles is an okiyane, a separate roof set over the body of the building rather than framed into it, an arrangement common on Japanese storehouses because it keeps rain off the earthen walls. The floor area is 25 square metres.
The base is built up high in dressed stone and the walls are finished in white Shikkui plaster. A pair of doors opens on the north face, with windows cut in the east and west walls. Inside, floors and walls are boarded, and sliding doors partition off one bay at the south end of the ground floor. The Agency for Cultural Affairs description calls it a plain storehouse stripped of decorative elements. Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse is the only two-storey building among the 19 listed structures here.
Why a Working Building Was Listed
Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, as number 37-0349.
This is not a building that receives anyone; it exists to hold things. It was included among the 19 because it forms part of the southwest corner of the precinct. Pick out only the halls and gates and the buildings that supported the working life of the temple drop out of the record. Taking in bridges, walls, stonework and a storehouse is exactly what this collective listing was for.
The date is unusual too. Among the listed buildings at Tanjoin it falls between the Shinden Hall of 1907 and the Mieido Hall of 1936, with only the corridor of 1915 for company in that stretch.
What to Look For
Watch where the wall meets the base. White plaster rises from a high course of dressed stone, and the junction runs as a single straight horizontal. With no ornament anywhere, the character of the building rests entirely on how those lines are held.
The roof repays a look as well. Because an okiyane sits slightly clear of the walls below, the shadow under the eaves falls differently from an ordinary gable. Openings are limited to the doors on the north and the windows east and west, with the south face left blank. Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse shows what a building looks like when it contains only what it needs.
Visiting Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse
The storehouse sits at the southwest corner, away from the run of halls at the centre. Coming round to the west of the Shinden Hall brings the wall face into view, though the position leaves few places from which the whole building can be seen at once.
It is a store, and the interior is closed. The temple's paid admissions cover only the dark passage and the treasure house inside the Mieido Hall, neither of which includes this building. Nothing is posted about photography, but the storehouse stands close to the working quarters of the temple, so distant exterior shots are the courteous limit.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse
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Q&A
- What kind of building is Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse?
- A two-storey plastered storehouse of 25 square metres under a separately framed tiled gable roof. It is the only two-storey building among the 19 listed here.
- When was Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse built?
- During the Taisho period, between 1912 and 1925. The official database records the period without fixing a year.
- Can visitors enter Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse?
- No. It remains in use for storage and only the exterior can be seen.
- Where is Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse?
- At the southwest corner of the Tanjoin precinct. The wall face becomes visible on rounding the west side of the Shinden Hall.
- What should visitors notice at Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse?
- The straight horizontal where white plaster meets the high stone base, and the way the separate roof sits clear of the walls.
Basic Information
| Name | Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-615 Zentsujicho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2010 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey plastered storehouse, tiled roof, building area 25 square metres |
| Owner | Zentsuji Religious Corporation |
| Public Access | Interior closed; exterior viewing only |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple South Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008181
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Zentsuji Tanjoin Temple Mieido Hall Front Corridor
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008173
- Sohonzan Zentsuji: Map of the Grounds
- https://zentsuji.com/keidai/map/
Last verified: 2026.09.14
