About the Takada Betsuin Bell Tower
The Takada Betsuin Bell Tower (高田別院鐘楼, Takada Betsu-in Shōrō) is a timber belfry of 1806, repaired in 2006, standing southeast of the main hall at Takada Betsuin, a Shinshū Ōtani-ha branch temple in Teramachi 2-chome, Jōetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, and was entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in 2015. It covers 18 m² and has a copper roof.
Its date varies by source. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives 1806, while the temple's own description says 1818 and its chronology records a rebuilding in 1838. This article follows the agency's database.
An Open Belfry With Close-Set Brackets
The Takada Betsuin Bell Tower is a Shōrō one bay square, left open on all four sides with no walls. Its roof is a hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri form in Dōban-buki copper sheeting.
Reading it from the ground up shows how much care went into a small building. The base is stonework in the Kirikomi-hagi manner, blocks cut to fit tightly with no gaps. Round posts, tapered at top and bottom in the chimaki style, stand on stone plinths. Three tiers of Nuki tie beams, at knee height, mid-height and at the post heads, lock them together, and a flat daiwa plate runs around the top.
On that plate sits a row of two-stepped Kumimono bracket sets with tail rafters. They are placed not only on the posts but between them as well, the Tsumegumi arrangement, so the space under the eaves reads as a solid band of brackets. Below the head beams are carved Ranma panels.
The 1783 Bell and Its Wartime Journey
The Bonshō hanging in the Takada Betsuin Bell Tower is not part of the registration, but the temple tells its story with pride. According to the temple, it was cast in 1783 with a gift from Miyazaki Kansuke, a believer from Sanwa village, weighs 480 kan (about 1.8 tonnes), and once rang the hours for the castle town.
In 1944 the bell was taken for wartime metal collection. People in Jōetsu assumed its sound was gone for good, but in August 1945 it turned up undamaged in Saitama Prefecture and, the temple says, was brought home through the efforts of the lay leader Hirose Shūzō.
Today it is rung at dawn on August 6 as a bell of prayer for peace and on New Year's Eve, according to the temple's 2026 schedule.
Why the Bell Tower Was Registered
The Takada Betsuin Bell Tower was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The agency's note ends by describing it as a belfry that shapes the view on the south side of the grounds.
At 18 m² it is a small building, yet it carries a full set of temple-architecture details: a fitted stone base, tapered round posts, close-set two-step brackets and carved panels. Set southeast of the main hall, it anchors the southern side of the Takada Betsuin grounds.
Seeing the Takada Betsuin Bell Tower
Pass through the Great Gate, walk toward the main hall and look to your left, to the south: the Takada Betsuin Bell Tower stands there. Because it is open on all sides, you can look up at both the bell and the brackets from outside. Step back a little to see how densely the brackets fill the eaves. The bell is rung at 6:30 a.m. on August 6 and from 11:30 p.m. on December 31; no information was found on whether visitors may ring it (checked September 2026). No official guidance on photography was found either. Directions to the temple are on the Takada Betsuin page.
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Q&A
- When was the Takada Betsuin Bell Tower built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives 1806, with repairs in 2006. Temple sources give 1818 or a rebuilding in 1838.
- How is the Takada Betsuin Bell Tower built?
- It is one bay square and open on all sides. Tapered round posts and close-set two-step brackets with tail rafters carry a copper-sheeted hip-and-gable roof, on a base of fitted cut stone.
- What is the story of the bell in the Takada Betsuin Bell Tower?
- According to the temple, the 480-kan (about 1.8-tonne) bell was donated in 1783, taken for wartime metal collection in 1944, and found in Saitama Prefecture and returned in 1945.
- When did the Takada Betsuin Bell Tower become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On August 4, 2015, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
- When can I hear the bell at the Takada Betsuin Bell Tower?
- The 2026 schedule lists 6:30 a.m. on August 6 for the peace bell and 11:30 p.m. on December 31 for the New Year's Eve bell (checked September 2026).
Basic Information
| Name | Takada Betsuin Bell Tower (高田別院鐘楼) |
|---|---|
| Location | 5437-1 Aza Dairoku, Teramachi 2-chome, Jōetsu City, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2015 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Area 18 m² (timber, copper roof) |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Shinshu Otaniha Takada Betsuin |
| Public Access | Exterior visible within the temple grounds |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Takada Betsuin Bell Tower
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010571
- Cultural Heritage Online: Takada Betsuin Bell Tower
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/246765
Last verified: 2026.09.30
