Reception Rooms around a Courtyard
The Honjoji Temple Daishoin (本成寺大書院) is a large reception hall of rooms around a courtyard of around 1899 in Nishihonjoji, Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 14, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a sheet-metal roof and a building area of 278 square metres, altered in 2011; registration number 15-0559.
Audience Rooms on a Courtyard
The Honjoji Temple Daishoin, a large reception hall under a pantiled gabled roof, is linked to the back of the guest hall by an arched bridge and joins the priests' quarters across a courtyard to the north (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Facing the courtyard is an audience suite of three rooms of 12.5 mats, and to its west an inner audience suite of two 10-mat rooms; the earth-floored verandas along the courtyard and the inner suite are typical of snow country (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes its calm, well-crafted suites of tatami rooms, and registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the audience rooms on the courtyard and the snow-country earth-floored verandas (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Honjoji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Niigata Prefecture tourism site, the grounds are free and open every day, with a fee for the treasure hall; it is about 15 minutes on foot from JR Sanjo Station. The five buildings are covered together on the Honjoji Temple group page.
Q&A
- When was the Daishoin built?
- Around 1899, with alterations in 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How is it linked to the guest hall?
- By an arched bridge from the back of the guest hall.
- How are the rooms arranged?
- A suite of three 12.5-mat rooms and an inner suite of two 10-mat rooms.
- What is typical of snow country?
- The earth-floored verandas along the courtyard.
- When was the Honjoji Temple Daishoin registered?
- On October 14, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Honjoji Temple Daishoin (本成寺大書院) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3861 Nishihonjoji 1-chome, Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, sheet-metal roof, 278 m² |
| Owner | Honjoji Temple |
| Public Access | Grounds open freely; 15 min walk from JR Sanjo Station |
References
- Honjoji Temple Daishoin (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013978
- Honjoji (Niigata tourism site, Japanese)
- https://niigata-kankou.or.jp/spot/5728
Last verified: 2026.10.19
