Shinjuan Main Hall

About the Shinjuan Main Hall

The Shinjuan Main Hall (眞珠庵本堂) is the abbot's hall of Shinjuan, a Daitokuji sub-temple in Murasakino, Kita Ward, Kyoto, built in 1638 and designated an Important Cultural Property on April 7, 1900. It has a hip-and-gable roof of cypress bark (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as 19.0 metres by 14.1 metres, single-storey, with a hip-and-gable roof of cypress bark and a corridor on the west side. It is owned by Shinjuan, a sub-temple of Daitokuji whose main hall, Tsusen-in and kuri are all designated Important Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Was Designated

The Shinjuan Main Hall was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1900. In its description of the kuri, the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that Shinjuan is the only Daitokuji sub-temple to keep its abbot's hall and kuri in their complete arrangement; this hall is that abbot's hall.

What to Look For

The Shinjuan Main Hall measures 19.0 metres by 14.1 metres, with a hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) roof of cypress bark and a corridor on the west (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

According to the Kyoto City Tourism Association, it enshrines a statue of Ikkyu (an Important Cultural Property), and its landscape and bird-and-flower door paintings are attributed to Soga Dasoku. In front lies a dry garden of stones in groups of seven, five and three against a hedge.

Visiting the Shinjuan Main Hall

According to the Kyoto City Tourism Association, Shinjuan can be visited by application. Check with the temple which parts, including the Shinjuan Main Hall, can be seen. Access details are on the Shinjuan page.