Kokubunji Temple Main Hall (Nankoku)

The Main Hall of Tosa Kokubunji

The Kokubunji Temple Main Hall (Nankoku) (国分寺金堂) is the main hall of Tosa Kokubunji, Temple 29 of the Shikoku pilgrimage, at Kokubu, Nankoku City, Kochi Prefecture; rebuilt in 1558 by Chosokabe Motochika with a hipped roof of wood shingles, it was designated an Important Cultural Property on August 29, 1904 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Nankoku City).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a hall five bays square with a single hipped roof of wood shingles and a one-bay entrance canopy, owned by Kokubunji.

History of Tosa Kokubunji

According to the Kochi Visitors and Convention Association, the temple is said to have been founded in 741 by the monk Gyoki at the wish of Emperor Shomu and later revived by Kukai, becoming part of the Shikoku pilgrimage; the Chosokabe clan and then the Yamauchi lords of Tosa granted it lands.

Nankoku City notes that the precinct became the Tosa Kokubunji Temple Site National Historic Site in 1922, and that besides the Kokubunji Temple Main Hall (Nankoku), two wooden standing Yakushi images and a temple bell are Important Cultural Properties. The provincial office where Ki no Tsurayuki, author of the Tosa Diary, served as governor lay about 1 kilometre to the north-east (Shikoku 88 Temples Association).

Value as an Important Cultural Property

The Kokubunji Temple Main Hall (Nankoku) was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1904. The Kochi Prefectural Board of Education notes that its hipped roof and heavy timber frame recall the main halls of the eighth century, and that this modest yet elegant building, with the view from the gate, conveys the temple's ancient atmosphere.

What to Look For

The Kochi Prefectural Board of Education and Nankoku City describe round pillars with Japanese-style three-part bracketing, double eaves of grouped rafters and a one-bay entrance canopy: plain but refined.

The Shikoku 88 Temples Association notes that the curved tie beams inside the Kokubunji Temple Main Hall (Nankoku) are said to be the oldest in Tosa and show Muromachi features. With its moss garden, the temple is also called the Moss Temple of Tosa.

Visiting

The Kokubunji Temple Main Hall (Nankoku) is open to worshippers as the hall of a pilgrimage temple. According to the Kochi Visitors and Convention Association, the temple treasures can be viewed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a fee (700 yen), and parking is free.

The address is 546 Kokubu, Nankoku City, about 5 minutes by car from the Nankoku interchange of the Kochi Expressway, or about 7 minutes by car from Gomen Station (Kochi Visitors and Convention Association).