Ito Chuta's Insurance Office for Hongwanji
The Former Shinshu Believers Life Insurance Company Main Building (Hongwanji Dendoin) (旧真宗信徒生命保険株式会社本館（本願寺伝道院）) is a brick office building of 1911 in Tamamoto-cho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on September 18, 2014. It was designed by Ito Chuta, professor at Tokyo Imperial University (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as brick, with a building area of 627.70 square metres, two storeys with a three-storey section and a partial basement, a copper roof, and an attached south-west gate and brick wall 7.6 metres long. It is owned by Hongwanji, and was built as the new headquarters of the Shinshu Believers Life Insurance Company, in which Hongwanji was the largest shareholder (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Ito Chuta's Theory of Architectural Evolution
The Former Shinshu Believers Life Insurance Company Main Building was designated an Important Cultural Property in 2014. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the building as an early major work based on Ito Chuta's theory of architectural evolution, embodying the path of architectural style in Japan. It was designated for its excellent design.
Known today as the Hongwanji Dendoin, it is used, according to Hongwanji, as a place where priests train for missionary work.
What to Look For
The Hongwanji Dendoin is built of brick, faced with brick-coloured tiles and banded in white granite, on an essentially English model (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Yet it boldly mixes in motifs from across Asia: an Indian-style dome over the entrance, a hexagonal tower and Chinese-style balustrades. Columns topped with brackets and window heads modelled on inverted-V struts reinterpret Japanese architecture (Agency for Cultural Affairs). From the Shomen-dori street, look up to see the dome and tower rising above the red walls.
Visiting the Hongwanji Dendoin
The Hongwanji Dendoin is normally closed to the public. Hongwanji occasionally holds lectures inside, open to a limited number of people by advance booking with a fee paid as a donation towards conservation (Hongwanji). The exterior can be seen from Shomen-dori in front of Nishi Honganji. The address is 199 Tamamoto-cho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto.
Q&A
- When was the Hongwanji Dendoin built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives 1911; Hongwanji gives 1912.
- Who designed the Hongwanji Dendoin?
- Ito Chuta, professor at Tokyo Imperial University (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is unusual about the Hongwanji Dendoin's design?
- An English-style brick building with an Indian dome, hexagonal tower, Chinese balustrades and reinterpreted Japanese details (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Can you go inside the Hongwanji Dendoin?
- It is normally closed; Hongwanji sometimes holds booked lectures inside (Hongwanji).
- When was the Former Shinshu Believers Life Insurance Company Main Building designated?
- On September 18, 2014.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Shinshu Believers Life Insurance Company Main Building (Hongwanji Dendoin) (旧真宗信徒生命保険株式会社本館（本願寺伝道院）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 199 Tamamoto-cho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 2014/9/18 (Heisei 26) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Brick, building area 627.70 square metres, 2 storeys with 3-storey section, partial basement, copper roof; with south-west gate and brick wall (7.6 metres long) |
| Owner | Hongwanji |
| Public Access | Normally closed (exterior viewable from the street) |
References
- Former Shinshu Believers Life Insurance Company Main Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/00004726
- Special lectures at the Hongwanji Dendoin (Hongwanji)
- https://www.hongwanji.kyoto/topics/img/2b180679eacd318d8f251e2f14a2bd6ab9b170e8.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.06