Jishoji Temple Togudo Hall

Yoshimasa's Chapel and the Dojinsai Study

The Jishoji Temple Togudo Hall (慈照寺東求堂) is the late Muromachi chapel of Jishoji (Ginkakuji) in Ginkakuji-cho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, which in 1951 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey hip-and-gable building 6.9 metres square with a cypress-bark roof, designated with a ridge tag.

According to the Agency, it was built in 1486 as a personal chapel facing south at the north corner of the pond, modelled on the Sairaido of Saihoji (the Moss Temple).

The Rooms

According to the Agency, it has four rooms, including the Buddha room and a small study called the Dojinsai. The Buddha room has a board floor, a coffered ceiling and paneled doors at the front. The Dojinsai, of four and a half mats, has a built-in desk and staggered shelves, and an ink inscription also calls it the hearth room.

The timbers throughout are slender, with chamfered square posts, boat-shaped arms and widely spaced rafters, a pure and simple building; a bench-like platform on the west exterior is unusual.

What to Look For

The Agency notes that repairs around 1742 and in the 1818 to 1830 period had altered the altar and the northern six-mat room, but the 1965 restoration returned everything to its original form.

The temple explains that Ashikaga Yoshimasa built it in 1486 as his personal chapel while creating the Higashiyama villa.

Visiting the Jishoji Temple Togudo Hall

Jishoji is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in summer and 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter.

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