A Hall from Fushimi Castle
The Shodenji Temple Main Hall (正傳寺本堂) is a temple main hall of the Momoyama period (1596 to 1614) in Nishigamo Chinjuancho, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on February 18, 1904 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey hall 13.8 metres by 10.0 metres under a hip-and-gable roof of wood shingles; designation number 00275.
The 1904 date in the Agency record is that of its designation under the former law.
A Hall Said to Come from Fushimi Castle
According to Kyoto City, Shodenji was founded in 1268 in central Kyoto and moved to its present site in 1282. The main hall came from Fushimi Castle, and its "blood ceiling" is said to reuse boards from a castle corridor where the defending commander and his men took their own lives in 1600.
The hall is a single storey, 13.8 metres by 10.0 metres, under a hip-and-gable roof of wood shingles (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency dates it to the Momoyama period.
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency lists this Momoyama-period hall with its hip-and-gable shingled roof as an Important Cultural Property. Its record has no commentary; the structure and date set out what was designated.
What to Look For
Look for the so-called blood ceiling, said to reuse boards from Fushimi Castle (Kyoto City), and the thin eaves of the shingled hip-and-gable roof.
Visiting
It is owned by Shodenji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Kyoto City notes a garden in front of the hall that borrows Mount Hiei as its backdrop. No official information on visiting hours or fees was found.
Q&A
- When was the Shodenji main hall built?
- In the Momoyama period, between 1596 and 1614 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where did the hall come from?
- It is said to be a relic of Fushimi Castle (Kyoto City).
- What is the blood ceiling?
- Boards from a Fushimi Castle corridor where defenders took their own lives in 1600, reused as a ceiling.
- Where is Shodenji?
- In Nishigamo Chinjuancho, Kita Ward, Kyoto.
- When was the Shodenji Temple Main Hall designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On February 18, 1904 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Shodenji Temple Main Hall (正傳寺本堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | Nishigamo Chinjuancho, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1904/02/18 (Meiji 37) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 13.8 m by 10.0 m, single storey, hip-and-gable roof, wood shingles |
| Owner | Shodenji Temple |
| Public Access | Visiting hours and fees not confirmed |
References
- Shodenji Temple Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/1589
- Walking map of Kyoto history and culture (Kyoto City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/bunshi/cmsfiles/contents/0000148/148088/17-01.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.19