The Jikoji Temple Sutra Repository
The Jikoji Temple Sutra Repository (慈光寺経蔵, Jikō-ji Kyōzō) is a fireproof storehouse for scripture at Jikoji in Hiruno, Gosen City, Niigata Prefecture; built in 1794, it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 23, 2012.
A kyōzō keeps a temple's sutras. The Jikoji repository stands on the southwest side of the compound, beside the entrance to the precinct, facing north. It is a single-storey Dozo-zukuri storehouse, walls of thick earth and plaster, measuring 5.8 by 6.0 metres with a building area of 35 square metres. The gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof is laid with pan tiles, and a small pent roof shelters the front.
Why the Jikoji sutra repository was registered
Inside the Jikoji repository stands an octagonal rinzō, a revolving sutra case, and a projection at the back enshrines a kūden, a miniature building that serves as a shrine. A rinzō is an eight-sided bookcase for scripture turning on a central axle; tradition holds that one full turn earns the same merit as reading every text inside.
The outer walls are boarded, horizontal boards above and clapboard (Shitami-itabari) below, so the earthen walls are sheathed in wood. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the building, by the entrance, gives the old temple much of its atmosphere. It was registered for contributing to the historic landscape of the country.
The date of 1794 falls about thirty years after the main hall of 1763, late in the long rebuilding of Jikoji.
What to look for at the Jikoji Temple Sutra Repository
Since the Jikoji repository sits by the entrance, it is easy to visit before heading for the gate. Start with the walls: the boarding changes direction halfway up, which sharpens the outline of the storehouse.
The pent roof over the front protects the doorway from rain and snow. At the back, the small projection that houses the shrine breaks the plain box of the building.
For a storehouse only about 6 metres on a side, the nearly square plan is telling. It is shaped around the octagonal case at its center.
Visiting the Jikoji Temple Sutra Repository
Gosen City lists the buildings of Jikoji as open to view from outside only, and the revolving case inside the Jikoji repository is not normally on view. For questions about the interior, contact the temple (tel. 0250-58-4000).
The repository stands close to the path visitors use at the entrance, so step aside when you stop to look.
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Q&A
- When was the Jikoji Temple Sutra Repository built?
- In 1794, about thirty years after the main hall of 1763.
- What is the revolving sutra case in the Jikoji Temple Sutra Repository?
- An octagonal bookcase for scripture that turns on a central axle, known as a rinzō.
- Can visitors see inside the Jikoji Temple Sutra Repository?
- Gosen City lists the building as open to view from outside only, and the interior is not normally shown. Ask the temple about access.
- Where is the Jikoji Temple Sutra Repository?
- On the southwest side of the compound, next to the entrance to the precinct, facing north.
- How is the Jikoji Temple Sutra Repository built?
- It is an earthen-walled storehouse measuring 5.8 by 6.0 metres, with a building area of 35 square metres and a tiled gabled roof.
Basic Information
| Name | Jikoji Temple Sutra Repository |
|---|---|
| Location | 870 Hiruno, Gosen City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered February 23, 2012 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 5.8 by 6.0 metres; building area 35 square metres |
| Owner | Jikoji Temple Religious Corporation |
| Public Access | Exterior only (per Gosen City) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Jikoji Kyozo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009143
- Cultural Heritage Online: Jikoji Kyozo
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/239926
- Gosen City: Jikoji
- https://www.city.gosen.lg.jp/organization/21/7/1/1/1870.html
- Gosen City Board of Education, English signboard text: Jikoji Temple
- https://www.city.gosen.lg.jp/material/files/group/15/zikozieigo2.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.19
