About the Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall
The Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall (定義如来西方寺御廟貞能堂, Gobyō Sadayoshi-dō) is a six-sided hall completed in 1927 at Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple in Okura, Aoba Ward, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on March 27, 2018. It is a single-story timber building with a copper sheet roof and a building area of 165 square meters.
Tradition places the hall over the grave of Taira no Sadayoshi, the warrior to whom the temple traces its origin. After Sadayoshi died in 1198, his followers carried out his last wish and built a small shrine-hall over his grave to house a painted image of Amida Buddha. The Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall descends from that first hall. It was enlarged many times and reached its present six-sided form in 1927.
Until the new Main Hall opened in 1999, this building was the main hall of the temple. The principal image was kept here and daily prayer services were held inside. Since the image moved, Sadayoshi Hall has become a place to remember the founder and to copy sutras.
Why the Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall Was Registered
The hall was registered as a model of good design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the carving that covers much of its exterior and calls it a hall of distinctive character.
Its history counts as much as its looks. The temple had a long-standing rule, handed down from earlier abbots, that the main hall must never be torn down and rebuilt. The 1927 work was therefore carried out as an enlargement, and some timbers of the older hall were kept in place. Miyagi Prefecture notes that old posts and beams from the previous main hall are still in use inside. According to the temple, the earlier hall was a small, plain building with a thatched roof.
The prefecture also points to two pieces of carving as especially fine: the entrance porch (Kōhai) on the front, and the figures of Fujin and Raijin, the gods of wind and thunder, at the front corners of the inner corridor. The hall was designed by Hanawa Kikuzo of the Kesen carpenters, built under head carpenter Hanawa Denkichi, and carved by Ishii Toramasa.
A Hexagonal Hall Under a Pagoda-Topped Roof
In plan, the Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall is a hexagon with a square rear hall attached behind it. The rear hall was added in 1968 and stays largely out of sight when you stand in front.
The roof follows the six sides of the hall, sloping down in six directions, and it is crowned by a small roof in the shape of a stupa. Sendai City records that it was first covered in wooden shingles (Kokerabuki) and is now sheathed in copper. A corridor with its own low roof, in the manner of a Mokoshi, wraps around the hexagon, so from outside the roofs appear in two tiers.
At the front, the porch carries a curved karahafu gable turned to face the visitor. Miyagi Prefecture rates the carving on this porch as the finest on the exterior, and it is the most elaborate part of the building. The hall was repaired in 1957 and again in 1968.
Visiting Sadayoshi Hall
Visitors may go inside the Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall. The temple's English guide says the small altar on the left side as you enter marks Sadayoshi's grave. Sutra copying is offered in the hall, and the temple lists it as available from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Look for the carved wind and thunder gods near the front ends of the inner corridor.
From the end of the approach path you face the hall head-on. From there the carved porch, the six-sided roof and the stupa finial line up in a single view. Walk around the side to see where the rear hall joins the hexagon.
The temple publishes no rules on photography inside Sadayoshi Hall. Put the camera away when people are praying or copying sutras, and ask at the temple office if you would like to take pictures indoors.
Q&A
- When was the Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall built?
- It took its present six-sided form in 1927, reusing some timbers from the earlier hall. The rear hall behind it was added in 1968.
- Whose grave lies under the Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall?
- Tradition says it stands over the grave of Taira no Sadayoshi, a senior retainer of Taira no Shigemori, who is said to have died in 1198.
- Can visitors go inside the Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall?
- Yes. You can pray and copy sutras inside. The temple lists sutra copying as available from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Why is the Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on March 27, 2018 as a model of good design, a hexagonal hall richly carved on the outside. It also keeps old posts and beams from the previous main hall.
- Where are the best carvings at the Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall?
- On the front porch with its curved karahafu gable, and on the wind and thunder gods carved at the front corners of the inner corridor.
Basic Information
| Name | Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple Sadayoshi Mausoleum Hall |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Aza-Joge, Okura, Aoba Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (grounds of Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered March 27, 2018 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 165 m² (single-story timber building, copper sheet roof) |
| Owner | Saihoji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Open inside for prayer and sutra copying (Sadayoshi Hall precinct open 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: 定義如来西方寺御廟貞能堂
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012087
- Cultural Heritage Online: 定義如来西方寺御廟貞能堂
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/428116
- Sendai City Board of Education, Designated and Registered Cultural Properties: 定義如来西方寺御廟貞能堂
- https://bunkazai.city.sendai.jp/shiteidb/c03039.html
- Miyagi Prefecture: Report on the registration of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (November 22, 2017)
- https://www.pref.miyagi.jp/soshiki/bunkazai/touroku171122.html
- Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple: Temple grounds guide (Japanese)
- https://jogi.jp/meguru/
- Jogi Nyorai Saihoji Temple: English site
- https://jogi.jp/en/
Last verified: 2026.10.04
