Chotokuji Temple Main Hall

What Is Chotokuji Temple Main Hall?

Chotokuji Temple Main Hall (長徳寺本堂, Chōtoku-ji Hondō) is the worship hall of Chotokuji, a Shinshu Otani-ha temple in Daieicho, Shibata City, Niigata Prefecture; it was built in 1850 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 27, 2017.

The hall stands at the end of the approach that runs south from the temple gate, in a precinct just below the site of Shibata Castle. It is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 510 square meters, the largest of the five registered structures at Chotokuji. It was renovated in 1984.

A Carved Front and Plain Sides

Walk around Chotokuji Temple Main Hall and it seems to change character. Along the sides and the back, the eaves rest on simple boat-shaped bracket arms, Funahijiki, set directly on the posts.

The front is another matter. Here the bracketing steps out one stage, in the form called Degumi, and at each end a tail rafter carved as a dragon pushes forward under the eave. The porch where worshippers climb the steps, the Kōhai, is dressed with deeply cut Kaerumata frog-leg struts and Tabasami side brackets. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the carving as powerful.

The effort went into the face that people approach, and the rest was kept plain. At Chotokuji Temple Main Hall the two treatments meet at the front corners, where the change from one bracket type to the other can be seen at a glance.

Inside a Shin Buddhist Hall

The Agency calls the plan of Chotokuji Temple Main Hall a typical Shin Buddhist layout. A broad outer hall for the congregation, the Gejin, opens onto an inner sanctuary, the Naijin, where Amida Buddha is enshrined, flanked by side chambers known as yoma.

What sets the Chotokuji hall apart is a pair of reception rooms attached beside the west side chamber, complete with a Tokonoma alcove and Tokowaki shelving. In effect, a formal guest suite is built into the worship hall.

The ceiling is a fine-gridded coffered type, with each coffer subdivided by thinner ribs, and the tie beams, Kōryō, and frog-leg struts are of high quality. These features led to registration under the criterion of serving as a model of design, as registration number 15-460.

Seeing Chotokuji Temple Main Hall

The exterior of Chotokuji Temple Main Hall can be viewed freely from the grounds. Stand in front of the porch to look up at the dragon tail rafters and carved struts, then step round to the side and compare the plain bracket arms there.

There is no notice of regular public access to the interior. The hall is also used for temple services and events, so if you hope to see the sanctuary or the coffered ceiling, or to take photographs inside, contact Chotokuji beforehand. Directions to the temple are on the Chotokuji Temple page.