Daishoji Main Hall

About the Daishoji Main Hall

The Daishoji Main Hall (大聖寺本堂) is the single-storey timber main hall of 1942 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 a tiled roof and a building area of 134 square metres; registration number 26-0351, 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 Main Hall was registered as a building that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes the dignified fittings it shows within a traditional form.

What to Look For

The Daishoji Main Hall faces west in the south-east of the grounds, a hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) building with pantiles laid out as a six-room abbot's hall. A broad veranda runs across the front, and balustraded verandas wrap the front and sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Square posts carry simple bracket arms under single-tier rafters, with latticed gables. The southern room of the back row is a room for noble guests, with a large alcove painted with birds and flowers (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting the Daishoji Main 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.