Todaiji Temple Hokkedo Hall Temizuya: A Large Ablution Building of 1335
The Todaiji Temple Hokkedo Hall Temizuya (東大寺法華堂手水屋, Hokkedō Temizu-ya) is an early Muromachi-period building attached to the Hokkedō on the Jōin terrace of Todaiji in Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, built in 1335 and designated an Important Cultural Property in 1906.
A temizuya holds water for rinsing the hands and mouth before approaching the Buddha. This one belongs to the Hokkedō, as its name says, but the Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as seven bays by four, far larger than the small water pavilions visitors usually picture.
Size and Form
The Todaiji Temple Hokkedo Hall Temizuya is a single-storey building seven bays long and four deep, with a gabled roof of clay tiles. Among the Jōin's subsidiary buildings only the Nigatsudō Sanrosho (ten by four) is longer, and the two share the same four-bay depth.
Its gabled tile roof matches the service buildings around the Nigatsudō, a plain, practical form common to the working buildings of the Jōin. No primary source found so far describes how a water building of this size used its interior.
The Year 1335
The Agency dates the Todaiji Hokkedo Hall Temizuya to 1335, the second year of the Kenmu era. Kenmu was the era name chosen when Emperor Go-Daigo took power after the fall of the Kamakura shogunate; the split between the Northern and Southern Courts began the following year.
At Todaiji, the Kamakura-period recovery from the fire of 1180 had largely run its course, and the Jōin's subsidiary buildings had been put in place one after another: the Nenbutsu Hall in 1237, the Hokkedō North Gate in 1240, the Nigatsudō Sanrosho between 1277 and 1282. The Temizuya shows that this work continued into the fourteenth century.
Why the Temizuya Is an Important Cultural Property
The Todaiji Temple Hokkedo Hall Temizuya was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1906, on the same day as the Nigatsudō Sanrosho and the Honbō Sutra Repository, under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law of the time.
It is a securely dated subsidiary building of the early fourteenth century and part of the group around the Hokkedō. Around that one hall stand buildings of three eras: the Nara-period Hokkedō, the Kamakura North Gate and this early Muromachi Temizuya.
Visiting the Temizuya
The outside of the Todaiji Temple Hokkedo Hall Temizuya can be seen free from the Jōin grounds. The temple's visitor information says nothing about entering it or using its water.
The Hokkedō is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for 800 yen (adults, checked October 2026). Before or after your visit, take in the length of the seven-bay gabled roof from outside. Directions are on the Todaiji Temple page.
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Q&A
- When was the Todaiji Hokkedo Hall Temizuya built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1335, in the early Muromachi period.
- How big is the Todaiji Hokkedo Hall Temizuya?
- It is seven bays by four, a single storey with a gabled tile roof, much larger than a typical small water pavilion.
- What was the Todaiji Hokkedo Hall Temizuya used for?
- As its name says, it held water for purification before entering the Hokkedō. How its large interior was used is not described in primary sources found so far.
- When was the Todaiji Hokkedo Hall Temizuya designated?
- In 1906, on the same day as the Nigatsudō Sanrosho and the Honbō Sutra Repository.
- Can visitors see the Todaiji Hokkedo Hall Temizuya?
- Yes, the outside is visible free from the Jōin grounds. The temple gives no information about entering it.
Basic Information
| Name | Todaiji Temple Hokkedo Hall Temizuya |
|---|---|
| Location | Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 1906 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 7 x 4 bays, single storey, gabled roof, clay tiles |
| Owner | Todaiji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior visible free from the grounds |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 東大寺法華堂手水屋
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2455
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 東大寺法華堂
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2436
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 東大寺二月堂参籠所
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2456
- Todaiji Temple: Hokkedo (Sangatsudo)
- https://www.todaiji.or.jp/information/hokkedo/
- Todaiji Temple: Opening Hours and Admission Fees
- https://www.todaiji.or.jp/information/haikan/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
