A late Muromachi hall with a shingle roof
The Hojuin Main Hall (寶珠院本堂, Hōju-in Hondō) in Horyuji Sannai, Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, is the main hall of the Hojuin sub-temple of Horyuji, built in 1512 in the late Muromachi period and designated an Important Cultural Property on December 22, 1942.
Three bays by two, it is single-storey and hip-and-gabled, roofed in kokera, thin wooden shingles laid in overlapping courses.
Among the temple's small halls
Most of the sub-temple halls and small halls at Horyuji are three bays square. The Hojuin Main Hall is only two bays deep, a shallower plan that sets it apart.
Its shingle roof is also unusual among Horyuji's tiled buildings; the other designated example is the Kamakura-period Shindo of 1284. Two halls some 230 years apart preserve the same roofing method.
As a firmly dated sub-temple hall of the early sixteenth century, the Hojuin Main Hall records what a small hall looked like at the very end of the Middle Ages.
What to look for
Shingles split thin and lapped course by course show at the eaves as fine lines of overlapping boards. Notice how light the gable and eave lines look.
Three bays wide and only two deep, the plan gives a compact, shallow look from the front.
Visiting
Hojuin is a residential sub-temple, and the interior of the Hojuin Main Hall is not open to the public.
Hours, tickets and directions for Horyuji are on the Horyuji page.
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Q&A
- When was the Hojuin Main Hall built?
- In 1512, in the late Muromachi period.
- What is special about the roof of the Hojuin Main Hall?
- It is a hip-and-gable roof of thin wooden shingles.
- What is the plan of the Hojuin Main Hall?
- Three bays by two, shallower than the three-bay square halls common at Horyuji.
- Can you visit the Hojuin Main Hall?
- No. It belongs to a sub-temple and the interior is closed.
- Is the Hojuin Main Hall an Important Cultural Property?
- Yes. It was designated on December 22, 1942.
Basic Information
| Name | Hojuin Main Hall (Hōju-in Hondō) |
|---|---|
| Location | Horyuji Sannai, Ikaruga, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 1942/12/22 (Showa 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3 by 2 bays, single storey, hip-and-gable roof, wood-shingle roof |
| Owner | Horyuji Temple |
| Public Access | Closed (sub-temple) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — Hojuin Main Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2719
- Cultural Heritage Online — Hojuin Main Hall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/db/heritages/detail/186866
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — Horyuji Shindo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2708
Last verified: 2026.10.01
