A Corridor That Climbs and Turns with the Hill
Behind the Main Hall of Yugyo-ji runs a long covered passage that bends and changes level as it follows the slope of the ground. Known as the Hyakken-roka, or Hundred-ken Corridor, it links the Main Hall with the reception quarters at the northwest of the precinct, and its floor rises, steps and turns to keep pace with the hillside it crosses.
The temple, formally Shojoko-ji and popularly called Yugyo-ji, is the head temple of the Ji-shu sect founded by the wandering monk Ippen in the thirteenth century. Its precinct is built into rising ground, and the corridor is the practical answer to a garan spread across several levels.
Why the Corridor Is Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the corridor as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2016, for its contribution to the historic character of the landscape. Completed in 1937, it is a single-span, gable-roofed passage of about 222 square metres, tiled with pantiles and finished in white plaster along its outer walls, where a horizontal nageshi rail runs beneath a row of pointed-arch kato windows.
More than a walkway, the corridor takes on a devotional role at key points, where it opens to a worship station for the mausoleum area and to the small shrine of Ugajinja set into the hillside above.
What to Look For
Follow the line of kato windows along the plastered wall and the way the roof steps down where the ground falls away. The corridor is best appreciated from within the precinct as it threads between the larger buildings, giving the garan much of its sense of continuity.
Interiors of the connected residential and reception buildings are generally not open to visitors, but the corridor's exterior can be seen on a walk through the grounds during daytime hours.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kanagawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Seijokoji Temple's Hyakuken Corridor
- [ Kamakura Buddha Hakone Onsen & Yokohama Tours ]
Q&A
- What is the Hyakken-roka?
- It is a long covered corridor linking the Main Hall with the reception quarters at the temple's northwest. Its name means roughly hundred-ken corridor, a reference to its length.
- Why does it change level?
- The precinct is built on sloping ground, so the corridor rises, steps and bends to follow the hillside as it runs between the buildings.
- When was it built?
- In 1937, the same year as the present Main Hall, during the reconstruction of the precinct after the 1923 earthquake.
- Does it have any religious function?
- Yes. At certain points it opens to a worship station for the mausoleum area and to the Ugajinja shrine above, so it is not purely a passageway.
- Can I walk through it?
- The corridor connects buildings that are generally used by the temple and not open to the public, but its exterior is visible from the precinct, which is freely accessible in the daytime.
Basic Information
| Name | Hundred-ken Corridor (Hyakken-roka) of Shojoko-ji (Yugyo-ji) |
|---|---|
| Location | 神奈川県藤沢市西富一丁目208 (Fujisawa, Kanagawa) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Registered | 25 February 2016 (Reg. no. 14-0210) |
| Date | 1937 (early Showa) |
| Structure | Timber, single-storey; gable pantile roof; single-span; area approx. 222 sq m |
| Owner | Religious corporation Shojoko-ji |
| Access | Exterior visible from the precinct (open in daytime) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — National Cultural Properties Database (Corridor)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010937
- Yugyo-ji (Shojoko-ji) official site — history
- https://yugyoji.or.jp/engi/
- Fujisawa City Tourism — Yugyo-ji
- https://www.fujisawa-kanko.jp/spot/fujisawa/03.html
- Shojoko-ji — Wikipedia (Japanese)
- https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B8%85%E6%B5%84%E5%85%89%E5%AF%BA
Last verified: 2026.07.05