Jindoji Temple Main Hall

A Zao Hall Rebuilt in 1406

The Jindoji Temple Main Hall (神童寺本堂) is the former Zao Hall, enshrining the deity Zao Gongen of 1406 in Yamashirocho Jindoji, Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on March 28, 1923 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a three-by-four-bay hipped hall with a tiled roof; designation number 00773.

The 1923 date in the Agency record is that of its designation under the former law.

A Zao Hall Rebuilt after a Fire

The main hall of Jindoji in Yamashirocho Jindoji, Kizugawa, Kyoto, dates from 1406; it is three bays by four, single-storey and hipped, with the roof swept down over a one-bay front aisle under a gable, and a tiled roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Japan Tourism Agency explains that it enshrines the principal deity Zao Gongen, was rebuilt in 1406 after the whole temple burned, and was formerly called the Zao Hall. Zao Gongen is the chief deity of Shugendo mountain asceticism, and the present image dates from the Muromachi period.

Why It Is an Important Cultural Property

The Agency record has no commentary; the date, 1406, and its form, a three-by-four-bay hipped hall, set out what was designated.

What to Look For

At the main hall, look for the great hipped roof swept down over the front aisle and its tiles (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

The hall is owned by Jindoji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on visiting hours was found.