Honganji Temple

The Street Front of a Great Head Temple

The Honganji Temple (gates and other buildings) (本願寺) is the buildings forming the street front of Honganji (Nishi Honganji) facing Horikawa-dori in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City; the first was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1910, and the Goeido gate, Amida hall gate, sutra repository, water basin pavilion, drum tower and other buildings were later added.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the building designated in 1910 as one bay square, single storey, gabled, with a traditional tile roof.

According to the Agency, Honganji presents the Goeido gate and Amida hall gate to the street, with the sutra repository, water basin pavilion, drum tower and other buildings alongside.

The Street Front

According to the Agency, the sutra repository, with its huge revolving case, was built in 1677, and its lower interior walls are faced with brightly coloured Arita ware tiles.

The Goeido and Amida hall gates are large four-legged gates with distinctive bracketing, decorated with carving and ornamental metalwork. Honganji notes repairs to the Goeido gate in 1859, 1960 and 2006 to 2009, and to the Amida hall gate in 1983 and 2009.

What to Look For

The Agency values these buildings, all large and of high quality and combining the finest design and technique of their periods, as a fitting street front for a Shin head temple that developed throughout the Edo period.

The Agency adds that they are important for understanding the townscape of early modern Kyoto.

Visiting the Honganji Temple (gates and other buildings)

Honganji runs free guided tours of the precinct four times a day, open to all.

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