A Kamakura Hall Dated by Its Ridge Beam
The Chokyuji Temple Main Hall (長弓寺本堂) is a masterpiece among Kamakura halls in the Japanese style of 1279 in Kamimachi, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, and was designated a National Treasure on November 14, 1953 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey hall five bays by six with a hip-and-gable cypress-bark roof and a one-bay porch, designated together with three hidden ridge beams; designation number 00154.
The Agency record also gives an earlier designation date of December 28, 1898, the date of its designation under the former law.
A Date Written on the Ridge Beam
The founding of Chokyuji is attributed to the monk Gyoki, among other accounts, but is not certain (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The hall keeps a ridge beam, now in three pieces, inscribed in ink with a ridge-raising date in the second month of 1279, so its date is known. Ikoma City says the temple belongs to the Shingon school and that its principal image, a standing Eleven-Headed Kannon, is an Important Cultural Property.
The hall stands on a low platform, five bays by six with a one-bay porch (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Panelled doors fill the central three bays of the front and the front two bays of each side, and the rest are lattice windows or walls. The brackets are simple three-part ones, but the front is decorated with frog-leg struts between them.
Why It Is a National Treasure
The Agency counts it among the masterpieces of Kamakura halls in the Japanese style, all the more valuable for its known date.
An Interior Touched by the Daibutsu Style
Inside, sliding lattice doors and diamond-lattice transoms divide the inner and outer sanctuaries (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Somewhat ornamental double blocks fill the bracketing over that boundary, and details such as the mouldings on the tie-beam ends show the influence of the Daibutsu style.
What to Look For
Look for the frog-leg struts on the front and the lattice doors and diamond-lattice transoms dividing the sanctuaries (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Chokyuji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official visiting information was found.
Q&A
- When was the hall built?
- In 1279, as the ink inscription on its ridge beam shows.
- How large is it?
- Five bays by six, with a one-bay porch.
- What else is designated with it?
- Three hidden ridge beams.
- What is the principal image?
- A standing Eleven-Headed Kannon, according to Ikoma City.
- When was the Chokyuji Temple Main Hall designated a National Treasure?
- On November 14, 1953 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Chokyuji Temple Main Hall (長弓寺本堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kamimachi, Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | National Treasure (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated National Treasure 1953/11/14 (Showa 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building (with 3 hidden ridge beams) |
| Dimensions | Five bays by six, single storey, hip-and-gable, one-bay porch, cypress bark |
| Owner | Chokyuji Temple |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Chokyuji Temple Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/2664
- Mayumi and Kamimachi walking course (Ikoma City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.ikoma.lg.jp/cmsfiles/contents/0000028/28322/mayumionnseigaido.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.24