Sofukuji Temple Gohodo Hall (Kanteido and Kannondo)

A Guardian Hall of 1731

The Sofukuji Temple Gohodo Hall (Kanteido and Kannondo) (崇福寺護法堂(関帝堂又観音堂)) is a mid-Edo guardian hall enshrining Guan Yu and Kannon at Sofukuji, a Chinese temple in Nagasaki of 1731 in Kajiyamachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on August 29, 1910 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a single-storey hall three bays by five with a hip-and-gable tiled roof; designation number 00551.

The 1910 date in the Agency record is that of its designation under the former law.

A Hall for Guardian Deities

The Gohodo of Sofukuji in Kajiyamachi, Nagasaki City, dates from 1731 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a single-storey hall three bays wide and five deep, under a hip-and-gable roof of tiles.

As its full name shows, it is also called the Kanteido (Guan Yu hall) or Kannondo, a hall for deities who guard the Buddhist teaching. Sofukuji is one of the three Chinese temples of Nagasaki and a well-known temple of the Obaku school of Zen (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A Nagasaki City feature calls it the red Chinese temple, and its precinct includes the First Peak Gate and the Daiyuhoden.

Why It Is an Important Cultural Property

The Agency record has no commentary; the date, 1731, and its form, a three-by-five-bay hip-and-gable hall with a tiled roof, set out what was designated.

What to Look For

At the Gohodo, look for the tiled hip-and-gable hall that forms part of this Chinese temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

The hall is owned by Sofukuji (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on opening hours or fees was found.