A Small Pavilion Dense with Carving
In front of the Main Hall of Yugyo-ji stands a small open pavilion where visitors rinse their hands and mouth before worship. Built in the early Meiji period, between about 1868 and 1882, the Chozuya, or purification pavilion, packs a remarkable amount of sculptural detail into a single roofed bay of about thirteen square metres.
Yugyo-ji, formally Shojoko-ji, is the head temple of the Ji-shu sect, whose founder Ippen travelled the country distributing nembutsu slips and spreading the dancing nembutsu. The pavilion belongs to the group of temple structures that survived from before the twentieth-century reconstructions.
Why the Pavilion Is Registered
Registered in 2016 for its contribution to the historic landscape, the pavilion is a single-bay, open-sided structure with a gable roof clad in pantiles. Chamfered square posts lean slightly inward, tied by a head-tie beam and a top rail, above which the bracketing is packed close in the tsumegumi manner.
The gable end is filled with a double rainbow beam and a large strut, dressed with a flowing-water motif. The projecting beam-ends are carved in openwork, and the spaces between the brackets carry sculptures of birds and animals, making this modest shelter a showcase of Meiji-period woodcarving.
What to Look For
Before entering the Main Hall, pause here to look up. The openwork beam-ends and the animal carvings in the bracket zone reward close attention, and the flowing-water strut in the gable is easy to miss from below.
The pavilion is in the open precinct and can be used and viewed freely during daytime hours.
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Q&A
- What is a Chozuya?
- It is a purification pavilion sheltering a water basin, where worshippers rinse their hands and mouth before approaching the hall. Here it stands in front of the Main Hall.
- When was it built?
- In the early Meiji period, roughly between 1868 and 1882, which places it among the older surviving structures in the precinct.
- What is special about it?
- Its size is modest, but it is densely carved: openwork beam-ends, animal sculptures between the brackets, and a flowing-water motif in the gable.
- Can I use it?
- Yes. It stands in the open precinct and is freely accessible during daytime hours.
- Where is it in the precinct?
- In front of the Main Hall, near the top of the climb from the main gate.
Basic Information
| Name | Purification Pavilion (Chozuya) 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. 14-0214) |
| Date | Early Meiji (c. 1868-1882) |
| Structure | Timber, open-sided single bay; gable tile roof; area approx. 13 sq m |
| Owner | Religious corporation Shojoko-ji |
| Access | In the open precinct; freely usable in daytime |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — National Cultural Properties Database (Purification Pavilion)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010941
- Yugyo-ji (Shojoko-ji) official site
- https://yugyoji.or.jp/
- 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