Daishoji Entrance Hall

About the Daishoji Entrance Hall

The Daishoji Entrance Hall (大聖寺玄関) is the single-storey timber entrance hall of 1923 at Daishoji, an imperial Zen convent in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on January 26, 2011.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a single-storey timber building with tiled and copper roofs and a building area of 112 square metres; registration number 26-0355, owned by the religious corporation Daishoji. Nine of the convent's buildings and walls were registered on the same day (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Was Registered

The Daishoji Entrance Hall was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, though traditional in style, it shows modernity in providing for motor cars.

What to Look For

The Daishoji Entrance Hall lies east of the Miyagoten: 15 metres by 5.3 metres, hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) with pantiles, and a large carriage porch with a copper-roofed cusped gable projecting to the east (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

From south to north it holds a reception room, the main entrance, a side entrance and a storeroom, with a corridor along the back (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The big porch was designed for guests arriving by car.

Visiting the Daishoji Entrance Hall

According to the Japan Tourism Agency commentary, Daishoji remains an active convent and is closed to the public except for occasional special exhibitions. The front gate and earthen walls can be seen from Karasuma-dori and the lane to the south. The address is 109-1 Goshohachiman-cho, Karasuma-dori Kamidachiuri-sagaru, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto.