The Only Medieval Thirteen-Storey Stone Pagoda Left in Tanba
The Enpukuji Thirteen-Storey Pagoda (延福寺十三重塔, Enpuku-ji Jūsanjū-no-tō) is a stone pagoda at Enpukuji temple in Honme-cho, Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, carved in 1358 and designated an Important Cultural Property on 19 February 1957. It stands on the wooded slope of Mount Maruoka, above the temple's main buildings.
Thirteen-storey stone pagodas were built across Japan in the medieval period, and most of them are gone. The database of the Kameoka municipal museum records this one as the sole surviving stone pagoda of its type in the Tanba region that can be traced back that far. That single fact carries most of the reason it was designated.
The temple's own chronology runs deep. Enpukuji, a Koyasan Shingon temple, is said to have been founded in 1154 by the monk Mongaku, better known for pressing Minamoto no Yoritomo to raise his army and for restoring Jingoji in Kyoto. In 1312 the priest Yuben is said to have revived the temple, which then received imperial patronage from Emperor Hanazono and grew to twelve sub-temples.
Reading the Stone
The national register records a stone thirteen-storey pagoda, one unit, bearing an inscription that reads "Enbun 3, year of the earth-dog, tenth month, twenty-fifth day." Enbun was a Northern Court era name. That is a small point with a long shadow: this pagoda and the Enjoji stupa in Kyotango, carved seven years earlier, were made within a single generation of one another in the same prefecture, and they date themselves by the calendars of opposing courts.
The stone is granite. Height is given as roughly 2.7 to 3 metres depending on the source, which makes it modest for a thirteen-storey pagoda. Each roof tier carries a low shaft segment cut above it, and the eaves curve gently rather than flaring.
The base is where the carving concentrates. Four Buddhas are cut in half relief into the four faces of the first shaft, each set within a flame-shaped niche. Identification is not entirely settled. The east figure holds a medicine jar and is read as Yakushi, the Healing Buddha. The west figure forms the meditation mudra and is read as Amida. The south figure appears to hold a staff, which would suggest Jizo, and the north figure raises both hands in what looks like the wheel-turning gesture, which would point to Shaka. Read as a conventional exoteric set of four the north figure would instead be Miroku, so the reading remains open.
The upper part of the finial is missing. That loss is not concealed and is recorded in the survey descriptions, along with the fact that the pagoda now stands within a stone railing on a circular masonry base.
Who commissioned it is a genuine open question. Some sources name the donor as a monk called Saigan, others attribute the pagoda to Yuben, the reviver of the temple. The Agency for Cultural Affairs entry records only the date inscription and does not name a patron.
Visiting a Temple in the Back Country
Enpukuji sits about ten kilometres west of central Kameoka, in country that public transport reaches thinly. The grounds are open and there is no admission charge for the precinct; the pagoda stands outdoors and can be seen and photographed freely. Interior buildings may not be open, and it is sensible to treat a visit as a walk through the grounds rather than a tour.
What else is here. The Niten gate, a vermilion eight-legged gate with a hipped-and-gabled roof, was rebuilt during the Kan'ei era in the first half of the seventeenth century. The bell tower is the oldest building on the site, having survived a landslide that took others. The kuri living quarters date from 1777. Behind them lies an Edo-period pond garden, registered provisionally as a scenic property by Kyoto Prefecture, which is worth the detour on its own.
Autumn is the season most people choose. Maples and ginkgo on the slope behind the temple colour in the second half of November, and the pagoda, the bell tower partway up the hillside and the garden read together at that point in a way they do not in summer.
Getting there. From Chiyokawa Station on the JR Sagano Line, take a Kameoka community bus to the Honme stop; the temple is about five minutes' walk from there. Buses are few. By car it is a straightforward run west from Kameoka city centre. General enquiries go through the Kameoka Tourism Association on 0771-22-0691, since the temple does not keep a visitor desk.
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Q&A
- Can visitors see the Enpukuji Thirteen-Storey Pagoda, and is there a fee?
- Yes. The pagoda stands outdoors on the temple grounds, which are open, and there is no admission charge for the precinct. Photography is unrestricted. Temple buildings are not necessarily open, so treat the visit as a walk through the grounds.
- What is inscribed on the Enpukuji Thirteen-Storey Pagoda?
- The base carries a date reading Enbun 3, year of the earth-dog, tenth month, twenty-fifth day, corresponding to 1358. Enbun was a Northern Court era name. The register does not record a patron's name, and sources disagree on who commissioned the work.
- Why is the Enpukuji pagoda considered significant?
- It is recorded as the only stone thirteen-storey pagoda in the Tanba region that survives from the medieval period. Its dated inscription and the four Buddhas carved in half relief on the first shaft add to its value as a fixed point for dating regional stonework.
- How tall is the Enpukuji Thirteen-Storey Pagoda?
- Around 2.7 to 3 metres, depending on the source, which is small for its type. The upper portion of the finial is missing, so the original height would have been somewhat greater.
- How do I reach Enpukuji in Kameoka?
- From Chiyokawa Station on the JR Sagano Line, take a Kameoka community bus to the Honme stop and walk about five minutes. Services are infrequent. Driving is easier; the temple is roughly ten kilometres west of central Kameoka.
Basic Information
| Name | Enpukuji Thirteen-Storey Pagoda (延福寺十三重塔) |
|---|---|
| Location | Honme-cho, Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (architecture), register no. 01396 |
| Year Designated | 19 February 1957 |
| Quantity | 1 unit |
| Dimensions | Granite; height approx. 2.7 to 3 m, upper finial missing |
| Owner | Enpukuji |
| Public Access | Viewable outdoors on open temple grounds, no admission charge |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs — Enpukuji Jusanjunoto
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/1983
- Kameoka City Museum cultural property database — Enpukuji stone thirteen-storey pagoda
- https://museums.city.kameoka.kyoto.jp/database/01s07h21/
- Kyoto Tsu Hyakka Jiten — Enpukuji, Kameoka
- https://www.kyototuu.jp/Temple/EnpukuJiKameoka.html
- Kyoto Guide — Enpukuji, Kameoka
- https://kyototravel.info/enpukuji
Last verified: 2026.08.07