National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties · Nara

Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Sanrosho

Todaiji Nigatsudo Sanrosho: The 13th-Century Lodging of the Shunie

Todaiji's Nigatsudo Sanrosho, a ten-bay lodging of 1277-1282 tied to the monks of the Shunie retreat: its size, why it is listed and where to see it from.

Designation National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties

Location Nara

Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Sanrosho: Where the Shunie Monks Stay

The Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Sanrosho (東大寺二月堂参籠所, Sanrō-sho) is a late Kamakura-period building northwest of the Nigatsudō at Todaiji in Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, built between 1277 and 1282 and designated an Important Cultural Property in 1906.

Sanrō means withdrawing into a temple to carry out religious practice. Each year on 16 December, the anniversary of Rōben's death, Todaiji announces the eleven monks, the rengyōshū, who will undertake the following year's Shunie at the Nigatsudō in retreat. The Sanrosho, as its name says, is the lodging tied to that practice.

A Long, Low Building

The Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Sanrosho is ten bays long and four deep, a single storey under a gabled roof of clay tiles. Next to the Akaiya well house (three bays) and the Busshoya (five bays) around the Nigatsudō, its length stands out.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1277 to 1282, about a century after the fire of 1180, when Todaiji's rebuilding had reached the subsidiary buildings of the Jōin. It survived when the Nigatsudō itself burned in 1667.

Why the Sanrosho Is an Important Cultural Property

The Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Sanrosho was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1906, under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law of the time, on the same day as the Hokkedō Temizuya and the Honbō Sutra Repository.

The temple dates the Shunie to 752 and describes it as a rite never once interrupted. That the monks who perform it still lodge in a thirteenth-century building is what gives the Sanrosho its value. With the Akaiya and the Busshoya, it is one of a cluster of Kamakura buildings around the Nigatsudō that support the ceremony.

Where to See the Sanrosho

According to the temple, if you go down the covered stone stairway that runs west from the north side of the Nigatsudō, you pass between the monks' lodging and the dining hall and come out on a back lane lined with sub-temples. The Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Sanrosho stands beside that stairway.

Walking down the steps gives the best sense of the ten-bay gabled roof. The Great Bathhouse lies further west along the back lane, so on the way back toward the north side of the Great Buddha Hall you can see several Shunie buildings in turn.

Visiting the Nigatsudo Sanrosho

The Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Sanrosho is a monks' lodging and its interior is not open; the temple's visitor information lists no public access. The outside can be seen free from the stairway and the back lane.

During the Shunie, from 1 to 14 March, the monks are in retreat here and the area is crowded, so please keep noise down. Directions and admission for the rest of Todaiji are on the Todaiji Temple page.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Nara: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Sanrosho; [ Todaiji Great Buddha & Nara Park Deer Experience ]

Q&A

QWhen was the Todaiji Nigatsudo Sanrosho built?: AThe Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to between 1277 and 1282.

QWhat is the Todaiji Nigatsudo Sanrosho used for?: ASanrō means withdrawing for religious practice; it is the lodging tied to the monks who undertake the Shunie in retreat.

QHow big is the Todaiji Nigatsudo Sanrosho?: AIt is ten bays long and four deep, a single storey with a gabled tile roof.

QWhere is the Todaiji Nigatsudo Sanrosho?: ABeside the covered stone stairway running west from the north side of the Nigatsudō; the temple describes the path as passing between the lodging and the dining hall.

QCan I go inside the Todaiji Nigatsudo Sanrosho?: ANo. The interior is not open, but the outside can be seen free from the stairway and back lane.

Basic Information

Name	Todaiji Temple Nigatsudo Sanrosho
Location	Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture
Designation	Important Cultural Property
Year Designated	1906
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	10 x 4 bays, single storey, gabled roof, clay tiles
Owner	Todaiji Temple
Public Access	Interior closed. Exterior visible free from the stairway and back lane