Hozoji Temple Storehouse

What Is Hozoji Temple Storehouse?

Hozoji Temple Storehouse (法蔵寺土蔵, Hōzō-ji Dozō) is a clay-walled storehouse built in 1854 behind the priests' quarters at 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.

It is a two-story building in the thick-walled Dozo-zukuri manner, tiled, with a building area of 38 square meters, the smallest of the temple's five registered buildings. Yet of the four Edo-period buildings at Hozoji, the storehouse is the only one whose year of construction is known exactly.

An Ink Inscription That Fixes the Date

The date comes from an inscription brushed in ink on the underside of a finished ridge beam, one shaped and smoothed to be seen rather than hidden. That writing tells us the Hozoji Storehouse was built in 1854.

The temple's other Edo buildings are dated only within ranges: the bell tower gate to around 1793, the priests' quarters and shoin to the mid-Edo period. With its inscription, the storehouse gives a fixed point against which the rest of the grounds can be read.

Why the Hozoji Temple Storehouse Was Registered

It was registered under the criterion of buildings that have become a model for later design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a sturdy, carefully made storehouse throughout.

The ridge runs east to west, and the roof is of the Okiyane type: a separately framed roof set on top of the plastered clay body of the building. A lean-to (Geya) is attached on the north side, and the roofs are covered in pan tiles (Sangawara-buki).

The lean-to deserves a second look. Rather than a light open shelter in front of the door, it is closed in by solid walls on three sides, with two separate doorways. Walling in the lean-to itself suggests real care for whatever was kept here. Inside, the walls are lined with finished boards, pairing a tough exterior with a refined interior.

Visiting the Hozoji Temple Storehouse

The Hozoji Storehouse stands to the south, behind the priests' quarters and close to the temple's living area. No interior opening could be confirmed, so do not expect to see the boarded walls or the inscribed beam.

What you can see from outside is the layering of the floating roof over the clay body and the walled lean-to projecting on the north. View it from the paths in the grounds rather than walking up to it, and keep photography to the exterior.