Jōraku-ji Tahōtō: A Stone Pagoda from 1262
Jōraku-ji's pagoda is made of stone, and that is what makes it rare. Most Japanese Buddhist pagodas were built of timber. Only two stone examples of the tahōtō, the so-called "pagoda of many treasures," hold the rank of Important Cultural Property, and the one in the hills above Bessho Onsen, in the city of Ueda, is generally judged the finer of the pair.
It is not large. The whole structure rises 2.74 meters, carved from andesite, a hard volcanic rock. Two roofs sit one above the other, and a finial of stacked rings, the sōrin, crowns the top. An inscription cut into the four faces of the central shaft records when and why it was made: the second year of Kōchō, 1262, during the Kamakura period, to hold a copy of the Buddhist canon.
You reach it by walking past the temple's thatched main hall and continuing into a stand of old cedars behind it. The light dims under the trees. The pagoda sits alone at the end of the path, on ground the temple regards as its most sacred: this is said to be the spot where the Kitamuki Kannon, the temple's principal image, first appeared.
Why a Stone Pagoda Was Built Here
A pagoda of this type has a distinctive profile: a square lower storey, a rounded core above it shaped like an overturned bowl, and a square upper roof. The form is read as a physical image of Dainichi Nyorai, the cosmic Buddha of esoteric Buddhism. Carrying that shape over into stone, rather than wood, took unusual skill, and few medieval masons attempted it.
That scarcity is the heart of the building's value. Of all the stone tahōtō surviving in Japan, only this one and the Shōbodaiji pagoda in Shiga Prefecture are designated Important Cultural Properties. The Shiga example departs somewhat from the orthodox shape, so specialists treat the Jōraku-ji pagoda as the most faithful surviving record of what the form was meant to look like in stone. It received its designation on 23 March 1961.
The inscription also explains the purpose. The pagoda was raised as a nōkyōtō, a tower for depositing scripture, to house a complete set of the issaikyō, the entire body of Buddhist sutras. Temple tradition holds that a wooden pagoda once stood on the same ground, built in the early Heian period after the priest Ennin restored the temple, and that it burned before the stone tower replaced it in the Kamakura period.
What to Look for Up Close
Stand in front of the pagoda and the carving rewards a slow look. The lower roof is cut to imitate the curved rafters and tiles of a wooden building, an effort to make hard andesite behave like carpentry. Lichen and moss have worked into the stone over more than seven and a half centuries, softening the edges and greening the surface.
The inscribed shaft is the part most worth finding. Its four sides carry the record of the 1262 dedication, the kind of dated evidence that lets historians fix a monument in time rather than guess at it. Few stone monuments of this age speak so plainly about their own origins.
A smaller stone tower stands close by, a multi-storeyed pagoda also carved from andesite and protected as a city-designated property. Take in the two of them together with the great thatched roof of the main hall a short way back, and the grounds reward an unhurried half hour rather than a quick photograph.
Getting There and Nearby Sights
Jōraku-ji sits in Bessho Onsen, a small hot-spring town on the Shioda plain that locals call the "Kamakura of Shinshu" for its cluster of medieval temples. The simplest approach is the Ueda Electric Railway Bessho Line to its terminus, Bessho Onsen Station, then about a ten-minute walk uphill. Drivers leave the Jōshin-etsu Expressway at the Ueda-Sugadaira interchange, roughly half an hour away, and the temple keeps a car park. A small entry fee applies, listed in recent guides at around ¥100.
The temple is the administrative seat of the Kitamuki Kannon, whose hall is unusual for facing north, and the two are visited together. Within easy reach are several of the area's headline buildings: Anraku-ji, whose octagonal three-storey pagoda is the only one of its kind in Japan and a National Treasure; the National Treasure pagoda at Daihō-ji; and the Important Cultural Property pagodas at Zensan-ji and Shinano Kokubunji. With Bessho's bathhouses and the oldest hot spring in the region close at hand, the pagoda fits naturally into a day of walking.
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Q&A
- Is the pagoda made entirely of stone?
- Yes. It is carved from andesite, a volcanic rock, and stands 2.74 meters tall. Stone tahōtō are uncommon in Japan, which is part of why this one is protected.
- How old is it?
- An inscription on the central shaft dates it to 1262, in the Kamakura period, making it more than 760 years old. It was named an Important Cultural Property in 1961.
- Can I go inside or touch it?
- No. The pagoda is a solid stone monument rather than a building you enter, and it is fenced for protection. You view it from the surrounding path.
- How long should I allow for a visit?
- About 30 minutes covers the pagoda, the nearby stone tower, and the thatched main hall. Add time if you continue to the Kitamuki Kannon hall or the other temples nearby.
- What else is worth seeing in the area?
- The octagonal three-storey pagoda at Anraku-ji, a National Treasure, is the standout. Daihō-ji, Zensan-ji, and Shinano Kokubunji each have notable pagodas, all on the Shioda plain.
Basic Information
| Name | Jōraku-ji Tahōtō (commonly Jōraku-ji Stone Tahōtō) |
|---|---|
| Location | Ōaza Bessho, Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (designated 23 March 1961) |
| Period | Kamakura period (inscribed Kōchō 2 / 1262) |
| Count and size | 1 unit; total height 274.0 cm |
| Structure | Stone tahōtō (two-storied pagoda), andesite |
| Owner | Jōraku-ji |
| Access | About 10 minutes on foot from Bessho Onsen Station (Ueda Electric Railway Bessho Line) |
| Admission | Small entry fee (around ¥100; confirm locally) |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/937
- Japan Heritage Portal: Jōraku-ji Stone Tahōtō (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/5058/
- Cultural Properties of Ueda City (Ueda Citizens' ICT Promotion Center)
- https://museum.umic.jp/bunkazai/document/dot27.php
- Jōraku-ji (Ueda) — Wikipedia
- https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/常楽寺_(上田市)
Last verified: 2026.06.04