Koryuji Temple Keikyuin Main Hall

An Elegant Octagonal Hall of the Kamakura Period

The Koryuji Temple Keikyuin Main Hall (広隆寺桂宮院本堂) is the early Kamakura octagonal hall of the Keikyuin at Koryuji in Uzumasa Hachioka-cho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, which in 1953 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey octagonal hall with a cypress-bark roof, designated with its shrine cabinet.

According to the Agency, the Keikyuin stands in the northwest corner of the Koryuji precinct and is said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku.

The Hall

According to the Agency, a fundraising record suggests the Keikyuin had fallen into ruin by 1247 to 1249, and the present hall appears to date from about 1251.

It is an octagonal hall ringed by a veranda, with a gently pitched cypress-bark roof topped by a jewel finial, giving a stable appearance. Its octagonal posts, three-bearing brackets and closely set chamfered rafters are delicate; inside there are no posts, and a plain ceiling slopes gently in eight directions from the centre.

What to Look For

The Agency describes it as a light and elegant hall of unpainted timber and a precious example of Kamakura-period round-hall architecture.

Notice how the gentle roof and delicate timbers give the octagonal hall its lightness.

Visiting the Koryuji Temple Keikyuin Main Hall

No official information on when the Keikyuin is open could be found.

The whole temple, including the lecture hall, is described on the group page.