Zuihoin Temple Main Hall

An Abbot's Hall of the 1550s

The Zuihoin Temple Main Hall (瑞峯院本堂) is a main hall in the abbot's-quarters form of the late medieval period of between 1552 and 1557 in Murasakino Daitokujicho, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on June 21, 1962 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a hip-and-gable main hall with a cypress-bark roof, laid out as abbot's quarters; designation number 01541.

An Abbot's-Quarters Plan

Zuihoin is a sub-temple of Daitokuji in Murasakino, Kita Ward, Kyoto; its main hall and front gate were built between 1536 and 1555 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The main hall, 14.8 metres by 11.0 metres, single-storey and hip-and-gable with a cypress-bark roof, is dated by the Agency to between 1552 and 1557.

The Agency describes it as an example of the abbot's-quarters form of the late medieval period. According to the Kyoto Tourist Information Center, the temple has two dry gardens made by Shigemori Mirei in the Showa period, Dokuzatei and Kanmintei.

Why It Is an Important Cultural Property

The Agency values it as an example of the late medieval abbot's-quarters form.

What to Look For

At the main hall, look for the cypress-bark hip-and-gable roof and the abbot's-quarters layout (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

The main hall is owned by Zuihoin Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A 2023 guide from the Kyoto Tourist Information Center gives admission as 400 yen; check the temple for opening hours. The main hall and front gate are introduced together on the Zuihoin Temple page.