Henjoin Three-Storied Pagoda

What Is the Henjoin Three-Storied Pagoda?

The Henjoin Three-Storied Pagoda (遍照院三重塔, Henjōin Sanjū-no-tō) is a Muromachi-period pagoda rebuilt in 1416 at Henjoin, a Shingon Buddhist temple in Nishiachi-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1925.

Henjōin, whose mountain name is Shin'yūsan, traces its founding to the monk Chikū in 985 according to temple tradition. It sits on flat ground west of central Kurashiki, in a residential neighborhood toward the Takahashi River, and passengers on the JR San'yō Line can catch a quick glimpse of the vermilion tower from the train.

The Henjoin Three-Storied Pagoda measures three bays on each side, carries Hongawarabuki tile roofs, and ends in a bronze finial. Kurashiki City gives its total height as about 21 meters. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database dates it to the mid-Muromachi period and lists one carved Kaerumata bracket as an attached item (tsuketari) included in the designation.

Why the Henjoin Three-Storied Pagoda Matters

For a long time the pagoda was said to have been rebuilt in the Eikyō era (1429 to 1441). That changed during a full dismantling and repair in 1966 and 1967, when workers found an ink inscription recording the rebuilding in the 23rd year of Ōei, which is 1416. The date moved back by more than a decade, and it now rests on written evidence rather than tradition.

Temple tradition credits the priest Chikai with that rebuilding.

A medieval pagoda with a securely dated inscription is valuable because it gives historians a fixed reference point for comparing other buildings of the same era. Kurashiki City points to the carved patterns on the kibana (projecting beam ends) and the flat, relief-carved style of the kaerumata as clear marks of early Muromachi design, and describes the Henjoin Three-Storied Pagoda as one of the finest three-storied pagodas in Japan.

The temple's own history adds a claim of its own. It says the core framework of all three stories was assembled first and the roofs were fitted afterward, and that this is the oldest surviving pagoda built that way. The Agency for Cultural Affairs entry does not mention this point, so treat it as the temple's account.

What to Look for at the Henjoin Three-Storied Pagoda

Eaves and bracket sets

Every pillar of the Henjoin Three-Storied Pagoda is round. Each roof has a double layer of closely spaced rafters, and the Kumimono are Mitesaki sets in the native Wayō manner, stepping outward three times to carry the deep eaves. Stand directly beneath the tower and look up; you can follow the same sequence of blocks and arms at each level.

The roofs shrink in an even rhythm toward the top, with gentle pitches and restrained upturns at the corners. From a short distance away, that steady reduction is what gives the pagoda its calm, settled outline.

Doors, windows and balconies

On every story the central bay holds a plank door and the side bays hold Renji-mado lattice windows. The veranda around the first story has no railing, while the second and third stories carry full Kōran balustrades. The difference is easy to spot once you know to look for it.

A pair of binoculars helps with the kaerumata above the central bays and the swirling carvings on the kibana, the details that Kurashiki City singles out.

According to the temple, an image of Dainichi Nyorai (the cosmic Buddha of esoteric Buddhism) of the Diamond Realm is enshrined on the Shumidan altar inside.

Views from around the grounds

Henjōin's pagoda stands in an open space in front of the main hall area, so you can walk all the way around it. Kumano Shrine lies immediately to the west of the temple, and its approach offers another view of the upper stories.

Visiting the Henjoin Three-Storied Pagoda

The nearest station is Nishiachi on the JR San'yō Line, one stop west of Kurashiki Station and about 4 minutes by train. From Nishiachi, the temple is roughly 1 kilometer to the north-northeast, a walk of about 15 minutes. The temple has a parking lot for visitors.

The temple's website lists visiting hours as 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The exterior of the Henjoin Three-Storied Pagoda can be viewed from the grounds, and no admission fee is posted. We could not confirm any regular opening of the interior, so plan on an exterior visit.

The temple does not publish a photography policy. Photographing the exterior is generally unproblematic, but hold off during memorial services or events. A childcare facility sits close to the pagoda, so keep voices down on weekdays.