Jodoji Temple Ippakuko Mausoleum

About the Jodoji Temple Ippakuko Mausoleum

The Jodoji Temple Ippakuko Mausoleum (浄土寺一伯公廟, Jōdo-ji Ippakukō-byō) in Oji Nishimachi, Oita City, is a late Edo-period shrine-like tomb housing the memorial stone of Matsudaira Tadanao, grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and it became a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 23 October 2008.

The Ippakuko Mausoleum stands east of the Main Hall. It measures just 3.0 metres by 2.4 metres, with a hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) roof of pan tiles (Sangawara-buki) entered from the gable end (Tsumairi) and an undulating cusped gable, or Noki-karahafu, over the front eaves. The timber, single-storey building covers 7.3 square metres.

Tadanao, known in exile as Ippaku, died in 1650 and was buried at Jodoji. The national database dates the present building to the late Edo period, more than a century after his death, and no published source says what stood here before. The mausoleum has since been moved twice, in 1925 and in 1974.

Why It Was Registered

The Ippakuko Mausoleum was registered in the 61st round on 23 October 2008 as number 44-0153, as a model of design.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a fine example of early modern mausoleum architecture and notes the old-fashioned character of its bracketing and other details. Oita City goes further, praising the cusped gable and the bracket sets for their sharp carving, smooth curves and careful, high-level carpentry.

What makes it remarkable is the mismatch of scale. A building of 7.3 square metres has been given the kind of bracketing normally reserved for the eaves of a large temple hall.

What to Look For

The cusped gable and the hollyhock crest

Above the entrance, the eave line rises into the bow-shaped curve of the karahafu gable. Beneath it, the pair of hinged doors carries the three-leaved hollyhock crest of the Tokugawa in relief. The city's newsletter notes that the crest also appears on the roof tiles.

Two-step brackets on tapered columns

The columns are round, with their ends tapered in the manner called chimaki. On top sit bracket sets that project two steps out from the wall, complete with tail rafters (Odaruki), and the infill panels (Shirin) between brackets and ceiling are carved with cloud patterns. Two-step bracketing with tail rafters is a formal system for supporting deep eaves on major halls, and seeing it on a building of 7.3 square metres is striking.

One earth-floored room

Inside is a single room with an earthen floor and a coffered ceiling (Gō-tenjō). Tadanao's memorial stone is enshrined there.

Visiting the Ippakuko Mausoleum

The Jodoji Ippakuko Mausoleum stands east of the Main Hall, and its exterior can be seen from the temple grounds. The cusped gable and the hollyhock crests on the doors face you as you approach; step closer and look up under the eaves to see the brackets and the cloud-carved panels.

As of October 2026 there was no notice of public access to the memorial stone behind the doors. This is a grave, so pause and pay your respects before looking around. To see or photograph the interior, contact the temple office in advance (097-532-3534).