A Muromachi main hall in a sub-temple
The Kitamuroin Main Hall (北室院本堂, Kitamuro-in Hondō) in Horyuji Sannai, Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, is the main hall of the Kitamuroin sub-temple of Horyuji, built in 1494 in the late Muromachi period and designated an Important Cultural Property on February 18, 1904.
It is a three-by-three-bay square hall, single-storey and hip-and-gabled, roofed not in tile but in cypress bark.
A bark-roofed sub-temple hall
Sub-temples were small temples within a great monastery's grounds, where monks lived and carried out daily devotions. The Kitamuroin Main Hall is valuable as a firmly dated main hall of such a sub-temple.
Horyuji keeps other three-bay square halls too: the Shindo of 1284, the Jizo Hall of 1372, the Chuin Main Hall of 1434 and this one of 1494, so small halls from the thirteenth to the end of the fifteenth century can be compared in order within one temple.
Its bark roof gives a soft eave line among Horyuji's mostly tiled halls. The sub-temple's front gate and Taishiden are also Important Cultural Properties, so the makeup of the sub-temple survives as a whole.
What to look for
The hip-and-gable roof in cypress bark is the feature to notice: layers of thin bark give the eaves a thickness and curve unlike the hard edge of tile.
Its square three-bay plan suits a hall for a sub-temple's own devotions. Compared with the Chuin Main Hall, tiled and entered from the gable, it shows how much roof material and entrance change a hall's character.
Visiting
Kitamuroin is a residential sub-temple and is not open to the public; the Kitamuroin Main Hall cannot be visited inside.
Hours, tickets and directions for Horyuji are on the Horyuji page.
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Q&A
- Can you visit the Kitamuroin Main Hall?
- No. Kitamuroin is a sub-temple closed to the public.
- When was the Kitamuroin Main Hall built?
- In 1494, in the late Muromachi period.
- What is the roof of the Kitamuroin Main Hall made of?
- Cypress bark, on a hip-and-gable roof.
- What else at Kitamuroin is designated?
- Its front gate and Taishiden are also Important Cultural Properties.
- Is the Kitamuroin Main Hall an Important Cultural Property?
- Yes. It was designated on February 18, 1904.
Basic Information
| Name | Kitamuroin Main Hall (Kitamuro-in Hondō) |
|---|---|
| Location | Horyuji Sannai, Ikaruga, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 1904/2/18 (Meiji 37) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3 by 3 bays, single storey, hip-and-gable roof, cypress-bark roof |
| Owner | Horyuji Temple |
| Public Access | Closed (sub-temple) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — Kitamuroin Main Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2705
- Cultural Heritage Online — Kitamuroin Main Hall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/db/heritages/detail/175942
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — Kitamuroin Front Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2709
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — Horyuji Kitamuroin Taishiden
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2732
Last verified: 2026.10.01
