A Mountain Hall of 1561 above Toba
The Kozoji Temple Main Hall (庫蔵寺本堂) is a temple hall entered at its gable end of 1561 in Kochicho, Toba City, Mie Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on April 15, 1920 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a four-by-three-bay, single-storey hall with a hipped roof, its entrance at the gable end and a one-bay porch, roofed in wood shingles, with a shrine cabinet said to have held the former main image and 6 ridge tags designated alongside it; designation number 00730.
The 1920 date in the Agency record is that of its designation under the former law.
Once the Inner Sanctuary of Kongoshoji
Kozoji lies east of Kongoshoji, the temple on the summit of Mount Asama on the border of Ise and Shima, and is said to have been its inner sanctuary (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The main hall is said to date from 1561 and keeps the character of the late Muromachi period, while the painted patterns and carvings inside are inventive and unusual (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency notes that the hall keeps the late Muromachi form while its interior patterns and carvings are uniquely inventive, and designates it as an Important Cultural Property.
What to Look For
Look for the gable-entry form of the late Muromachi period and the inventive patterns and carvings inside (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Kozoji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the temple can be reached only on foot, through forest from the foot of the mountain and up a steep stone stair. Both halls are covered on the Kozoji Temple group page.
Q&A
- When was the Kozoji Temple Main Hall built?
- It is said to date from 1561 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How is the name read?
- Kozoji.
- What was Kozoji originally?
- The inner sanctuary of Kongoshoji on Mount Asama.
- What else is designated with it?
- A shrine cabinet and 6 ridge tags.
- When was the Kozoji Temple Main Hall designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On April 15, 1920 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kozoji Temple Main Hall (庫蔵寺本堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kochicho, Toba City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1920/04/15 (Taisho 9) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 4 × 3 bays, single storey, hipped roof, gable entry, one-bay porch, shingled |
| Owner | Kozoji Temple |
| Public Access | On foot only (Japan Tourism Agency) |
References
- Kozoji Temple Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/1306
- Gankozan Kozoji Temple (Japan Tourism Agency multilingual explanation database)
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/R2-00766.html
Last verified: 2026.10.19
