The Only Medieval Buddhist Hall in Tango
The Honganji Temple Main Hall (Kumihama, Kyotango) (本願寺本堂, Honganji Hondō) is the main hall of Honganji, a Jodo-school temple in Kumihama-cho, Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture; it is thought to date from the late Kamakura period (1275 to 1332) and was designated an Important Cultural Property on February 18, 1904.
This Honganji is not the famous head temple of the same name in Kyoto City, the Nishi Honganji of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji branch. It is a separate temple belonging to the Jodo school, standing in the Jūraku district of Kumihama at 1 Kumihama-cho.
Kyotango City calls the Honganji Temple Main Hall the oldest wooden building in the city. The city's Digital Museum, quoted in the city's own publications, goes further, describing it as both the oldest wooden building in the whole Tango region and the only surviving medieval Buddhist hall there.
A Gently Pitched Bark Roof and a Zen-Style Altar
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the Honganji Temple Main Hall as 5 bays by 5, single-storey, with a hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri roof covered in Hiwadabuki, layered cypress bark. Its plan is therefore close to square.
According to Kyotango City, the bark roof has a gentle pitch, and the city's tourism corporation describes the low, single-storey hall as keeping the look of the Kamakura period. The calm line of the roof is easiest to appreciate from a few steps back, where the whole hall comes into view.
Inside, a Shumidan altar platform in the Zen style (Zenshūyō) stands at the centre of the inner sanctuary with a Zushi shrine cabinet, in which the principal image is enshrined. The tourism corporation adds that the hall houses some 2,000 small Buddha figures, the "thousand Buddhas", long venerated as protectors who grant life and keep people safe.
The Temple's Founding Legend
The temple's founding story, as retold by Kyotango City, says that in 730 the monk Gyōki came to this spot and saw snipe gathered in a great tree suddenly turn into Buddhas and fly off toward the western sky. Gyōki carved a figure of Amida from the tree and built a hall to house it. The monk Genshin, known as Eshin Sōzu, is said to have revived the temple later.
The tourism corporation adds that Hōnen afterwards spread the teaching of the Jodo school here, and the temple has belonged to that school ever since. The building itself is younger than these legends: the surviving Honganji Temple Main Hall is thought to date from the late Kamakura period.
The 1911 Restoration and a New Roof After 45 Years
The Kyotango City Board of Education reports that the bark roof of the Honganji Temple Main Hall was to be completely re-laid under a two-year plan beginning in fiscal 2023, the first full re-roofing in 45 years. The work was scheduled to run from February to the end of December 2024, with seismic strengthening among the planned tasks. At the time of writing, no city announcement confirming completion had been found.
The new roof was expected to need about 42,000 to 50,000 pieces of cypress bark, weighing more than 5.2 tonnes. When the workers opened up the roof framing, they found timbers from the major restoration of 1911, along with the name of Kameoka Suekichi, the Kyoto Prefecture engineer who supervised that work.
During the project the site was opened to the public and local schoolchildren were taken on tours. The city also notes that bark roofing is one of the techniques making up the "Traditional skills, techniques and knowledge for the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture in Japan", inscribed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2020.
Getting to the Honganji Temple Main Hall
The nearest station to the Honganji Temple Main Hall is Kumihama on the Kyoto Tango Railway Miyatoyo Line. Kyoto Prefecture's tourism federation puts the temple about 0.6 kilometres in a straight line from the station forecourt, an easy walk.
Neither the city nor its tourism corporation publishes details on visiting the interior, opening hours or admission fees. If you hope to see the thousand Buddhas inside, or are visiting as a group, contact the temple in advance, and ask about photography when you arrive.
The temple also holds a standing wooden Amida figure designated by Kyoto Prefecture and an imperial messenger's gate (Chokushimon) designated by Kyotango City, according to the city's list of related cultural properties. When you visit the Honganji Temple Main Hall, look for the gate and its place in the grounds.
Q&A
- How old is the Honganji Temple Main Hall in Kumihama, and when was it designated?
- It is thought to date from the late Kamakura period (1275 to 1332) and was designated an Important Cultural Property on February 18, 1904.
- Is the Honganji Temple Main Hall in Kumihama part of Nishi Honganji in Kyoto?
- No. The Kumihama Honganji is a separate temple of the Jodo school, unrelated to the Jodo Shinshu head temple Honganji (Nishi Honganji) in Kyoto City.
- Why is the Honganji Temple Main Hall important?
- It is the oldest wooden building in Kyotango City and is described as the only surviving medieval Buddhist hall in the Tango region.
- When was the roof of the Honganji Temple Main Hall last replaced?
- A two-year project from fiscal 2023 set out to re-lay the whole cypress-bark roof for the first time in 45 years, with seismic strengthening, due for completion at the end of December 2024. Timbers from the 1911 restoration were found during the work.
- How do I get to the Honganji Temple Main Hall, and can I go inside?
- It is about 0.6 kilometres in a straight line from Kumihama Station on the Kyoto Tango Railway. Interior visiting conditions are not published, so contact the temple beforehand.
Basic Information
| Name | Honganji Temple Main Hall (Kumihama, Kyotango) (本願寺本堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Kumihama-cho (Juraku), Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | February 18, 1904 (Meiji 37) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 5 by 5 bays, single storey, hip-and-gable roof, cypress bark |
| Owner | Honganji |
| Public Access | Interior visiting conditions not published (contact the temple) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Honganji Main Hall (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2063
- Kyotango City: Honganji Main Hall Bark Roof Re-laying, Site Opening (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kyotango.lg.jp/material/files/group/1/060206_bkz.pdf
- Kyotango City Board of Education: Press Release on the Honganji Main Hall Roof Project (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kyotango.lg.jp/material/files/group/3/20240903_n127.pdf
- Kyotango City: List of Related Cultural Properties (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kyotango.lg.jp/material/files/group/43/10sankousiryou2_kanrenbunkazaigunrisuto.pdf
- Kyotango Tourism Corporation: Honganji (Japanese)
- https://www.kyotango.gr.jp/sightseeing/704/
- Kyoto Prefecture Tourism Federation: Kumihama Morning Market, nearby spots (Japanese)
- https://www.kyoto-kankou.or.jp/info_search/8450
Last verified: 2026.10.04