A Kamakura hall with a shingle roof
The Horyuji Temple Shindo Hall (法隆寺新堂, Hōryū-ji Shindō) in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, is a late Kamakura-period Buddhist hall built in 1284 and designated an Important Cultural Property on April 17, 1911. The name means "new hall."
It is a three-bay square hall, single-storey and hip-and-gabled, roofed in kokera-buki, thin wooden shingles laid in overlapping courses.
Shingles among the tiles
Almost every hall and gate at Horyuji is roofed in tile or cypress bark. The Horyuji Shindo stands out with its wooden shingles. Split into thin boards and lapped course by course, a shingle roof is lighter than tile and softens the roofline.
Built in 1284, at the start of the late Kamakura period, it is the oldest firmly dated three-bay square hall at the temple. Compare it with the Jizo Hall of 1372 and the Chuin Main Hall of 1434 to follow about 150 years of small-hall building.
What to look for
Look at the eaves. With shingles, the build-up of layers shows as the eave's thickness, a finer edge than a tiled roof gives.
Notice the gable of the hip-and-gable roof and the curve of the roof surface toward the eaves. In raking light, the overlapping boards read as fine bands of shadow.
Visiting
The interior of the Horyuji Shindo is normally closed; the building is seen from outside along the paths through the grounds.
Hours, tickets and directions are on the Horyuji page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nara
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Horyuji Temple Shindo Hall
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Q&A
- When was the Horyuji Temple Shindo Hall built?
- In 1284, in the late Kamakura period.
- What is special about the roof of the Horyuji Shindo?
- It is roofed in thin wooden shingles, unusual among the tiled buildings at Horyuji.
- Can you go inside the Horyuji Shindo Hall?
- The interior is normally closed; the exterior can be seen from the paths.
- How does the Horyuji Shindo differ from the Jizo Hall?
- Both are three-bay square hip-and-gable halls, but the Shindo of 1284 has a shingle roof and the Jizo Hall of 1372 a tile roof.
- Is the Horyuji Shindo Hall an Important Cultural Property?
- Yes. It was designated on April 17, 1911.
Basic Information
| Name | Horyuji Temple Shindo Hall (Hōryū-ji Shindō) |
|---|---|
| Location | Horyuji Sannai, Ikaruga, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 1911/4/17 (Meiji 44) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3 by 3 bays, single storey, hip-and-gable roof, wood-shingle roof |
| Owner | Horyuji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior only (interior normally closed) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — Horyuji Shindo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2708
- Cultural Heritage Online — Horyuji Shindo
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/db/heritages/detail/157245
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties — Horyuji Jizo Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2706
Last verified: 2026.10.01
