Raised on a stone base beside the steps
Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse is a mid Edo period earthen-walled store in Hase, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, dated between 1661 and 1750 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2009.
It stands on the middle terrace below the Kannon Hall, southwest of the Main Hall. The plan is square, 4.5 metres by 4.5 metres, two storeys, with a floor area of 24 square metres. A gabled pantiled roof is set independently over the walls and entered from the gable end, and a second small tiled roof projects over the entrance on the east front.
The walls are finished in white plaster with boarding around the base. High stone retaining walls carry the south and west sides. Of the four earthen stores in the precinct, Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse is given the earliest date.
Listed almost as much for its base as its walls
Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse was listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The national database observes that the high stone walling on the south and west composes the view along the stone stairway. What earned the listing is less the store itself than the store and its base working as one piece of the approach.
To someone climbing the steps, that stone wall rises above eye level, and the white plastered store sits on top of it. Stone and plaster stack up within a single upward glance, which is why the eye is pulled skyward partway through the climb.
As its name says, the building was made to hold the temple's possessions. Chokokuji Temple keeps a quantity of hanging scrolls and old ceramics, now shown in the treasure rooms rather than here.
Entered from the gable end
Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse is entered from its gable end, so the triangle of the roof faces east towards the visitor. The Nakanokura and Rice Storehouses nearby are entered from the long side instead. Stores of similar function differ in roof orientation simply because the ground they stand on differs.
The roof is built as an independent structure resting over the earthen walls, a method that keeps roof movement away from the plaster and slows its decay. The extra roof over the east entrance protects the doorway from rain.
Step closer and you find a slight step where the boarding meets the plaster. The plaster laps just over the top edge of the boards so that rain cannot run behind them.
Seeing Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse
Standing on the stone stairway, Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse can be seen from outside without booking. It stands beside the Inner Gate, and partway up the steps there is a spot from which both are in view at once.
The interior is not opened. The front faces east, so the doorway takes light in the morning. To photograph the store together with its stone base, look up at it from lower down the steps.
Directions and reception hours are on the Chokokuji Temple page.
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Q&A
- How old is Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse?
- The national database dates it between 1661 and 1750, the earliest date given to any of the earthen stores here.
- Where is Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse?
- On the middle terrace below the Kannon Hall, southwest of the Main Hall, beside the Inner Gate on the stone stairway.
- Can visitors enter Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse?
- No. The interior is not opened, though the exterior is visible from the approach at any time.
- Why does Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse stand on a stone base?
- The high walling on the south and west gives a level floor on a slope and at the same time forms the edge of the view along the stairway.
- How large is Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse?
- 4.5 metres by 4.5 metres over two storeys, with a floor area of 24 square metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 13 Hase Toyo, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2009 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 4.5 metres by 4.5 metres, floor area 24 square metres |
| Owner | Chokokuji Temple, a religious corporation |
| Public Access | Exterior only; the interior is not open |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Chokokuji Temple Treasure Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007740
- Sado City: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, Chokokuji Temple
- https://www.city.sado.niigata.jp/site/bunkazai/4964.html
- Chokokuji Temple: Visitor Information
- https://sado-choukokuji.jp/guidance/
Last verified: 2026.09.14
