A Spacious Guest Hall
The Honjoji Temple Guest Hall (本成寺客殿) is a spacious guest hall with few interior posts of 1895 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 tiled roof and a building area of 571 square metres; registration number 15-0556.
Inner and Outer Halls
The Honjoji Temple Guest Hall faces east to the south-west of the main hall, under a pantiled hip-and-gable roof with a porch (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The central three of its seven bays form an inner hall with a coffered ceiling, with the main altar at the back and side altars.
The outer halls to north and south have batten ceilings; verandas run all around, and a corridor leads north to another hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes that the interior has few posts and forms a broad, open space, and registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the coffered inner hall and the broad, open interior (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 Guest Hall built?
- In 1895 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where does it stand?
- South-west of the main hall, facing east.
- What is the inner hall ceiling like?
- Coffered.
- What is the interior like?
- Broad and open, with few posts.
- When was the Honjoji Temple Guest Hall registered?
- On October 14, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Honjoji Temple Guest Hall (本成寺客殿) |
|---|---|
| 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, tiled roof, 571 m² |
| Owner | Honjoji Temple |
| Public Access | Grounds open freely; 15 min walk from JR Sanjo Station |
References
- Honjoji Temple Guest Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013975
- Honjoji (Niigata tourism site, Japanese)
- https://niigata-kankou.or.jp/spot/5728
Last verified: 2026.10.19
