A Temple Residence at Odake Kannon
The Odakesan Kofukuji Shoin and Kuri (大嶽山興福寺書院及び庫裏) is the study hall and priests' quarters of Kofukuji, a Tendai Buddhist temple in Minamikata-machi, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture: a mid-Meiji wooden building, single-storey with a two-storey section, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on February 4, 2021. It stands at the centre of the precinct facing south (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a wooden building, single-storey with a two-storey section, roofed in copper and sheet iron, with a building area of 312 square metres. It was renovated in 1922 and 1981. Registration number 04-0181; owner, the religious corporation Odakesan Kofukuji.
The Kannon of Odake
According to Tome City, Kofukuji is the tenth temple of the Oshu 33 Kannon pilgrimage and is known locally as "the Kannon of Odake". Repeated fires destroyed its records, but tradition holds that Sakanoue no Tamuramaro defeated a local chieftain here in 807 and built a Kannon hall on his burial mound (Tome City).
Around the Kannon hall stand a Yakushi hall, a Hakusan hall, a bell tower and a hexagonal hall (Tome City). The shoin and kuri are the buildings where the temple's daily life is carried on.
Why It Was Registered
The Kofukuji shoin and kuri were registered as a building that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the study hall is simply built on a plan of two rows of rooms, yet its north-west reception room uses coloured glass in the alcove, an innovative touch.
What to Look For
The Odakesan Kofukuji Shoin and Kuri combines a hipped (Yosemune-zukuri) study hall on the west with priests' quarters on the east whose front is hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri), and a cusped karahafu roof marks the east end of the study hall's front (Agency for Cultural Affairs). From the front you see the two different roof forms side by side, joined by the curved gable.
In the north-west reception room of the study hall, coloured glass is set into the alcove (Agency for Cultural Affairs), the feature the Agency singles out as forward-looking for a Meiji temple interior.
Visiting Odakesan Kofukuji
We found no official information on interior access to the Kofukuji shoin and kuri; the exterior can be seen from the temple grounds. The address is 18 Odake, Hongo, Minamikata-machi, Tome City. A spring festival is held at Odakesan every April (Tome City).
Q&A
- When were the Kofukuji shoin and kuri built?
- In the mid-Meiji period, renovated in 1922 and 1981 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What do the Kofukuji shoin and kuri look like?
- A hipped study hall on the west and priests' quarters with a hip-and-gable front on the east, with a karahafu at the front (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is special inside the Odakesan Kofukuji Shoin and Kuri?
- Coloured glass in the alcove of the north-west reception room (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When were the Odakesan Kofukuji Shoin and Kuri registered?
- On February 4, 2021.
- What kind of temple is Odakesan Kofukuji?
- A Tendai temple, the tenth stop on the Oshu 33 Kannon pilgrimage, known locally as the Kannon of Odake (Tome City).
Basic Information
| Name | Odakesan Kofukuji Shoin and Kuri (大嶽山興福寺書院及び庫裏) |
|---|---|
| Location | 18 Odake, Hongo, Minamikata-machi, Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/2/4 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, single storey with 2-storey section, copper and sheet-iron roofs, building area 312 square metres |
| Owner | Odakesan Kofukuji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the grounds (no official information on interior access) |
References
- Odakesan Kofukuji Shoin and Kuri (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013476
- Oshu 33 Kannon: Odakesan Kofukuji (Tome City)
- https://www.city.tome.miyagi.jp/koho/tourism/library/tazunearuki/minamikata02.html
Last verified: 2026.10.06