Hozoji Temple Bell Tower Gate

What Is Hozoji Temple Bell Tower Gate?

Hozoji Temple Bell Tower Gate (法蔵寺鐘楼門, Hōzō-ji Shōrōmon) is a two-story gate built around 1793 at the western entrance of Hozoji, a Jodo Shu (Pure Land) Buddhist temple in Toyoshina, Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) on December 26, 2005.

A shoromon does two jobs at once. You walk through the lower story to enter the temple grounds, and the upper story holds the temple bell, so the building is both gate and belfry. The Hozoji Bell Tower Gate is a wooden structure of two stories with two roofs, tiled, with a building area of 75 square meters. The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it at the main western entrance, which makes it the first building every visitor meets.

Why the Hozoji Temple Bell Tower Gate Was Registered

It was registered under the criterion of buildings that have become a model for later design. The front is three bays wide, with only the central bay left open as a passage, and above this rises a full second story under a second roof. The upper roof is hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) and covered in interlocking pan tiles (Sangawara-buki).

Judging from its carvings and other details, the Agency attributes the gate to a master carpenter of the Osumi school (大隅流, Ōsumi-ryū). No document naming the builder has been cited, so the attribution rests on style alone. The "around 1793" date reflects the same lack of a firm record.

Four of Hozoji's five registered buildings date from the Edo period. Of those, only the gate and the storehouse carry no record of having been moved, and the gate in particular defines how the temple looks from the street.

What to Look for at the Hozoji Temple Bell Tower Gate

Start at ground level. The gate stands on a low platform of cut stone. On the lower story, round pillars carry the eave purlins directly, a plain and unfussy arrangement.

The upper story is open on all sides, with no walls at all. Bracket sets of the projecting Degumi type sit on top of round pillars, and a coffered ceiling (Gō-tenjō) spans the space. The bronze bell hangs from the center of that ceiling. Stand beneath the gate and let your eye travel upward: first the brackets stepping the eaves outward, then the grid of the ceiling, then the bell at its heart.

Take a closer look at the carved details as well, since they are what led the Agency to its attribution.

The roof still needs regular care. Minutes of Azumino City's cultural properties council record that in fiscal 2014 the plaster along the roof tiles had begun to peel away badly, and repairs were carried out.

Visiting the Hozoji Temple Bell Tower Gate

Because the Hozoji Bell Tower Gate is the entrance to the grounds, you can see it from both the street side and the temple side. From the west front, the three bays and the hip-and-gable roof line up neatly; once inside, turn around to see how open the upper story is.

No information could be found suggesting visitors may climb to the upper story. Do not touch or strike the bell, keep photography to the exterior, and stand where you will not block people passing through. Directions and general visiting etiquette are on the Hozoji Temple (Azumino) page.