Daigoji Temple Yakushido Hall

A Rare Heian Hall on the Mountain

The Daigoji Temple Yakushido Hall (醍醐寺薬師堂) is the late Heian Yakushido hall in the upper precinct of Daigoji in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, which in 1959 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey hip-and-gable hall five bays by four with a cypress-bark roof.

According to the Agency, it is a principal hall of the upper temple, rebuilt from 1121.

The Hall

According to the Agency, a Yakushido stood from the temple's founding; as it had decayed, rebuilding began in 1121 and the hall was dedicated on 2 April 1124. Its later history is unknown, but it was dismantled and repaired in 1907 and re-roofed in 1935.

An outer sanctuary one bay deep surrounds an inner sanctuary three bays by two. Both have earthen floors; the outer has an exposed roof structure and the inner a coffered ceiling. Three-bearing brackets with intermediate struts are used, and frog-leg struts adorn the inner sanctuary.

What to Look For

The Agency notes that, though simple in design, its frog-leg struts and bracketing show the character of the period well, and that despite visible repairs its main original parts are well preserved.

The Agency values it as a principal hall of the upper temple and one of the few surviving Heian buildings.

Visiting the Daigoji Temple Yakushido Hall

Daigoji is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in summer and 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter.

The temple layout and visiting information are on the Daigoji group page.