Baioin Temple Main Hall

A Soto Zen Hall in the Matsushiro Castle Town

The Baioin Temple Main Hall (梅翁院本堂) is a six-room Soto Zen main hall in the Matsushiro castle town of 1861, altered in 1953 and around 1985 in Matsushiromachi Matsushiro, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on April 25, 2014 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a single-storey timber building with an iron-sheet roof and a building area of 172 square metres; registration number 20-0440.

A Six-Room Hojo-Type Plan

The main hall of Baioin, built in 1861, faces south in a precinct toward the east of the Matsushiro castle town (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It has the six-room plan of an abbot's hall, with an earth-floored area at the front.

Simple boat-shaped bracket arms sit on the outer posts and three-bearing brackets in the inner sanctuary; apart from tie beams used as decoration at key points, the design is plain (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency notes that it shows the character of early modern Soto Zen main halls in the area.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.

What to Look For

Look for the six-room plan and the tie beams at key points (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

It is owned by Baioin Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on visits was found. The main hall and gate are introduced together on the Baioin Temple page.