Todaiji Temple Kanjinsho Sutra Repository: An Early Heian Storehouse in Kōkei's Compound
The Todaiji Temple Kanjinsho Sutra Repository (東大寺勧進所経庫, Kanjinsho Kyōko) is an early Heian-period sutra storehouse of azekura log construction in the Kanjinsho compound west of the Great Buddha Hall at Todaiji in Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, designated an Important Cultural Property in 1902.
The temple describes the Kanjinsho as the precinct on the left as you follow the stone wall behind the Great Buddha Hall to the west. During the Edo-period rebuilding of the hall, the monk Kōkei built a sub-temple on the site of a former granary as the office for the restoration, and it became known as the Todaiji Kanjinsho, the fundraising office. Inside its earthen walls stand a bell tower, the Kōkeidō, an Amida hall and the Hachiman-den, and the Kanjinsho Sutra Repository is one of these buildings.
How It Is Built
The Todaiji Temple Kanjinsho Sutra Repository is three bays square, an azekura with a hipped roof of clay tiles. Its walls are triangular-section logs stacked and interlocked, enclosing a single chamber. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Heian period (794 to 929).
According to the Agency, Todaiji keeps three single-chamber azekura: this one, the Hokkedō Sutra Repository and the Honbō Sutra Repository. The Kanjinsho and Hokkedō stores are both three bays square and early Heian, matching in size and date. The Honbō store, three by two and Nara period, is the largest of the three.
A Heian Store in an Edo Compound
The Kanjinsho Sutra Repository is early Heian, but the compound it stands in was founded by Kōkei in the Edo period. The storehouse is therefore far older than the Kanjinsho and must have come down from earlier Todaiji. No primary source found so far records when or from where it was placed here.
So inside the office that ran Kōkei's rebuilding of the Great Buddha Hall stands a Heian-period storehouse: a building close to the founding era and the base of the Edo revival, sharing one walled enclosure.
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The Todaiji Temple Kanjinsho Sutra Repository was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1902, on the same day as the Hokkedō Sutra Repository, under the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law of the time.
It is an early Heian single-chamber azekura and one of Todaiji's three surviving examples, which together trace the temple's log storehouse building from the Nara into the early Heian period.
Visiting the Kanjinsho
The Kanjinsho is normally closed, so the Todaiji Temple Kanjinsho Sutra Repository cannot be seen up close. Each year on 5 October, after the Tegai-e ceremony, the seated Hachiman in monk's guise in the Hachiman-den is unveiled, together with the Amida in the Amida hall and the statue of Kōkei in the Kōkeidō, from about 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., for a fee. That day is the chance to enter the compound.
Photography, sketching and flashlights are not allowed inside the halls. Dates can change, so check the Todaiji website. Directions are on the Todaiji Temple page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nara
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Todaiji Temple Kanjinsho Sutra Repository
- [ Todaiji Great Buddha & Nara Park Deer Experience ]
Q&A
- When was the Todaiji Kanjinsho Sutra Repository built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Heian period (794 to 929).
- What is the Kanjinsho where the Todaiji Kanjinsho Sutra Repository stands?
- The sub-temple Kōkei built as the office for the Edo-period rebuilding of the Great Buddha Hall; its walled compound holds the Hachiman-den, an Amida hall and the Kōkeidō.
- How does the Todaiji Kanjinsho Sutra Repository compare with the Hokkedo one?
- Both are single-chamber azekura three bays square from the early Heian period; they differ in location.
- Can I see the Todaiji Kanjinsho Sutra Repository?
- The Kanjinsho is normally closed. You can enter on 5 October, when its halls are unveiled after the Tegai-e (fee).
- When was the Todaiji Kanjinsho Sutra Repository designated?
- In 1902, on the same day as the Hokkedō Sutra Repository.
Basic Information
| Name | Todaiji Temple Kanjinsho Sutra Repository |
|---|---|
| Location | Zoshicho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 1902 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3 x 3 bays, azekura log construction, hipped roof, clay tiles |
| Owner | Todaiji Temple |
| Public Access | Kanjinsho normally closed; halls unveiled each 5 October (fee) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 東大寺勧進所経庫
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2446
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 東大寺本坊経庫
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2454
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 東大寺法華堂経庫
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2447
- Todaiji Temple: Kanjinsho
- https://www.todaiji.or.jp/information/kanjinsho/
- Todaiji Temple: Unveiling of Secret Images
- https://www.todaiji.or.jp/annual/hibutsu/
- Todaiji Temple: Edo Revival
- https://www.todaiji.or.jp/history/edoki/
Last verified: 2026.10.02
