Daisenin Temple Main Hall

One of the Few Surviving Medieval Abbot's Halls

The Daisenin Temple Main Hall (大仙院本堂) is the late Muromachi abbot's hall of Daisenin, a sub-temple of Daitokuji in Murasakino, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, which in 1957 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey hip-and-gable hall 14.8 by 10.8 metres with a copper roof, designated with its entrance and four ridge tags.

The Agency notes that its ridge tag dates it to 1513.

The Plan

According to the Agency, it has six rooms: a central room with rooms to either side in three rows, each divided in two, the most typical plan of a Zen abbot's hall.

Its proportions, door details and the ruyi-head motifs remaining above the rear shelves show Muromachi features well.

What to Look For

The Agency notes that the rear was extended soon after construction, that the roof was raised about 1.5 metres in 1575, and that ridge tags record three further repairs in the Edo period. Though not unchanged since 1513, it is a valuable example given how few medieval abbot's halls survive.

The designation text praises its orderly design and dignified character.

Visiting the Daisenin Temple Main Hall

The temple is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The temple's history and visiting information are on the Daisenin group page.