About the Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall
The Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall (旧大野木家住宅護摩堂, Kyū Ōnogi-ke Jūtaku Gomadō) is a tiny Buddhist hall of about 1939 standing between the east and west storehouses on the Onogi estate in Takehana Donomae-cho, Yamashina Ward, Kyoto City, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on July 25, 2011. Its lot number is 5-1.
The hall measures 1.8 meters across the front and 4.0 meters deep, with a building area of 9.9 square meters, the smallest of the 8 registered structures on the estate. Goma is the fire ritual of Esoteric Buddhism, in which offerings are burned while prayers are recited, and this hall was built so the ritual could be performed within the family's own home.
Why It Was Registered: A Place of Worship Inside a House
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall as an example of a religious facility built into a private residence. Household shrines and family altar rooms are familiar in large Japanese houses; what stands out here is a separate hall for fire ceremonies, tucked in among the storehouses.
The Onogi Goma hall stands against the walls of the east and west storehouses. Both storehouses are 4.0 meters deep, and the hall, also 4.0 meters deep, fills the gap between them exactly. The family's goods and the family's prayers are housed in one continuous row. The registration criterion is that the building contributes to the historic landscape of the country.
Highlights: The Front and the Smoke Vent
The roof of the Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall slopes both ways in pantiles, with its front slope carried down low. On the front, Funahijiki boat-shaped bracket blocks sit on the posts to carry the beam, and the eaves have two tiers of Taruki rafters set at a semi-close spacing. Small as it is, the hall keeps the full vocabulary of temple building.
The entrance has sliding lattice doors. Inside, the floor is boarded and the ceiling is plastered in lime, with a vent opened in its center. The vent would have let out the smoke and heat of the goma fire, and the fire-resistant plaster ceiling is further evidence that the hall was made for real fire rituals.
Visiting the Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall
The Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall stands in the western part of the grounds, recessed between two storehouses, and is unlikely to be visible from the surrounding streets. The wedding and restaurant business at the Former Onogi Family Residence ended at the end of September 2024, and the grounds are now closed.
The interior is not open. Access and viewing conditions for the whole estate are covered on the Former Onogi Family Residence page.
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Q&A
- When was the Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall built and registered?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to about 1939. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on July 25, 2011.
- What is the Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall?
- A small hall built inside the estate for goma, the Esoteric Buddhist fire ritual. The Agency for Cultural Affairs treats it as an example of a religious facility within a private residence.
- Where is the Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall?
- Between the east and west storehouses, built against the walls of both.
- Why does the Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall have a vent in its ceiling?
- Most likely to release the smoke and heat of the ritual fire. The ceiling is plastered in lime with a vent in the center.
- Can visitors see the Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall?
- Not at present. It stands inside the estate, and the Former Onogi Family Residence closed at the end of September 2024.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Onogi Family Residence Goma Hall (旧大野木家住宅護摩堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 5-1 Takehanadonomaecho, Yamashina Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered July 25, 2011 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, tiled roof; building area 9.9 square meters |
| Owner | Rakuto Industry Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Not open to the public |
References
- 旧大野木家住宅護摩堂 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008720
- Kyoto Rakuto Geihinkan (Former Onogi Residence), Kyoto City Buildings and Gardens That Color Kyoto
- https://kyoto-irodoru.city.kyoto.lg.jp/yamashina/kyotorakutogeihinkan-n.html
- National Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, Yamashina Ward (Kyoto City)
- https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/bunshi/page/0000113281.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28
