A bell house shaped like a gate tower
Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower is a mid Edo period bell house in Hase, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, moved to its present site in 1876 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2008.
It adjoins the Goma Hall on the north. Two storeys high and closer in form to a gate tower than to a free-standing belfry, it carries a hip-and-gable roof sheeted in iron over a footprint of just 7.4 square metres. The lower storey, 3.2 metres by 2.3 metres, is not a bell chamber at all but a passage.
The bell hangs in the upper storey. A railed gallery wraps all four sides, three-block bracket sets rest on round columns, and the rafters are doubled. The national database places the original building between 1661 and 1750.
A move recorded on a ridge tablet
What sets Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower apart from its neighbours is that its move is documented. A ridge tablet of 1876 states that the bell house formerly stood southwest of the Gochido pagoda and was shifted here because the old position was inconvenient.
The building did not survive the move unchanged. A precinct drawing of 1800 shows a bell house near the pagoda in a markedly different shape, and Sado City concludes that it was substantially rebuilt when it was moved. On the evidence of the surviving carving, the earlier structure is dated to the second half of the eighteenth century.
The listing cites contribution to the historic landscape. That judgment reflects position as much as fabric: this small building joins the Goma Hall to the roofed corridor, and the whole chain of the approach passes through it.
Looking up at the dragon
The part of Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower that draws the most attention is the bracketing that carries the upper storey, where a dragon is carved. Sado City calls the carving outstanding and the national database singles it out as well. Walk through the lower passage and look straight up: the dragon appears between the brackets with its body twisted.
A footprint of 7.4 square metres is about the area of four and a half tatami mats. Two storeys and a railed gallery are stacked on that, so the proportions are tall and narrow. Seen from the stone steps below, it reads more like a small pagoda than a building.
Repairs were carried out in 1984, and the iron sheeting on the roof dates from that work.
Seeing Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower
Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower forms part of the 40-minute guided route. Because its lower storey serves as the entrance to the roofed corridor, anyone taking the 50-minute route up to the Kannon Hall passes through it as well.
The exterior can be seen from the approach at any time. To find the dragon, stand just short of the lower entrance and look upward.
Whether visitors may strike the bell is not stated on the temple website; ask at reception if you would like to. Directions and opening hours are on the Chokokuji Temple page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Niigata
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower
- [ Sado Island & Echigo-Yuzawa Ski Resort Tours ]
Q&A
- When was Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower moved to its present position?
- In 1876. A ridge tablet of that year records that it previously stood southwest of the Gochido pagoda and was moved because the old site was inconvenient.
- What shape is Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower?
- Two storeys in the manner of a gate tower. The lower storey is a passage, the bell hangs above, and a railed gallery runs around all four sides of the upper floor.
- What should I look for at Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower?
- The dragon carved into the bracketing that supports the upper storey. It is visible by looking up while passing through the lower storey.
- Can visitors go inside Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower?
- The lower storey doubles as the way into the roofed corridor, so the 40-minute and 50-minute routes both pass through it.
- How large is Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower?
- The floor area is 7.4 square metres and the lower storey measures 3.2 by 2.3 metres, making it the smallest of the listed buildings here.
Basic Information
| Name | Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower |
|---|---|
| Location | 13 Hase Toyo, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2008 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Lower storey 3.2 metres by 2.3 metres, floor area 7.4 square metres |
| Owner | Chokokuji Temple, a religious corporation |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable at any time; the lower storey is used as a passage during guided visits |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Chokokuji Temple Bell Tower
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006966
- 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
