Muryoji Temple Shuryo (Monks' Dormitory)

About Muryoji Temple Shuryo

Muryoji Temple Shuryo (無量寺衆寮, Muryō-ji Shuryō), the monks' dormitory of a Sōtō school Zen temple in Aida, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, is dated to the late Edo period (1830 to 1867) and became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on November 10, 2005.

In Zen temples, the shuryō is the hall where trainee monks read the scriptures and spend their days outside formal practice. Here it is a single-storey timber building southwest of the main hall, under a hipped Yosemune-zukuri roof, with a building area of 94 square meters.

Why Muryoji Temple Shuryo Was Registered

The dormitory was registered as no. 20-0199, as a model of design.

Its date is given with some latitude. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database lists it as late Edo (1830 to 1867), but the Agency's description also says the tall frame and Degeta-zukuri outrigger eaves suggest it went up at about the same time as the main hall, which was rebuilt between 1810 and 1812.

Whichever date is right, the Agency is clear that in its construction the building belongs with the main hall and priests' quarters.

A Central Passage with Rooms on Either Side

Muryoji Temple Shuryo has a hipped roof with an east-west ridge and measures 9.5 bays by 3. A passage 1.5 bays wide runs through the middle, with rooms on either side, and for a time the building served as a dwelling.

Matsumoto City gives the column height as 13 shaku 2 sun (about 4 meters) and the square columns as 4 sun on a side. The walls are Shikkui lime plaster with the tie beams left exposed.

The roof was originally thatched with wheat straw and has since been re-covered in long sheet-iron panels with standing seams. The national database still describes it as thatch with an iron covering, which suggests the iron was laid over the old roof shape rather than replacing it.

Visiting Muryoji Temple Shuryo

No published information covers opening the interior of Muryoji Temple Shuryo, so plan to view it from outside.

Because the building runs east to west, its long 9.5-bay eaves are best seen from the north or south. It stands southwest of the main hall, a short walk from the bell tower. Directions and contact details are on the Muryoji Temple page.