A Reception Hall Set into the Hillside
At the foot of the hill behind the Obankata at Yugyo-ji, reached by a connecting corridor, stands the Small Shoin. Used for the official duties of the Yugyo Shonin and for receiving distinguished guests, it is a single-storey building of about 162 square metres, open in feeling and refined in its detailing.
Shojoko-ji, popularly Yugyo-ji, is the head temple of the Ji-shu sect, and its precinct combines halls of worship with quarters for the priesthood and its guests. The Small Shoin belongs to this second, more private world of the temple.
Why the Building Is Registered
Registered in 2016 for its contribution to the historic landscape, the Small Shoin dates from the early Meiji period and was remodelled in the early Showa era. It has an east-west ridge under a hipped roof of copper sheeting. Inside, three rooms are set in each of two rows running north and south; in both rows the westernmost inner room is fitted with an alcove and edged with a veranda, giving the interior the character of a formal audience space.
The result is a shoin-style building that stays open and light while keeping the refinement expected of a head temple's reception rooms.
What to Look For
The building rewards an understanding of its plan: two parallel rows of rooms, each culminating in an alcove-fitted inner room wrapped by a veranda. That arrangement is what gives a shoin its sense of formal reception.
As a working reception building, the Small Shoin is generally not open to visitors, though its setting into the hillside can be sensed from the precinct during daytime hours.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shojokoji Temple Shoin
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Q&A
- What was the Small Shoin used for?
- It served for the official duties of the Yugyo Shonin and for receiving distinguished guests, functioning as a formal reception space.
- When was it built?
- In the early Meiji period, with remodelling in the early Showa era.
- What is a shoin?
- A style of formal reception room in Japanese architecture, typically fitted with an alcove and other built-in features; here two rows of rooms end in such alcove rooms.
- How is it connected to other buildings?
- It stands behind the Obankata at the foot of the hill and is reached by a connecting corridor.
- Can visitors enter?
- It is a working reception building and generally closed to the public; the setting can be seen from the precinct.
Basic Information
| Name | Small Shoin 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. 14-0209) |
| Date | Early Meiji; remodelled early Showa |
| Structure | Timber, single-storey; hipped copper roof; floor area approx. 162 sq m |
| Owner | Religious corporation Shojoko-ji |
| Access | Not generally open; setting visible from the precinct (daytime) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — National Cultural Properties Database (Small Shoin)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010936
- 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