A Main Hall of 1350
The Honzanji Temple Main Hall (本山寺本堂) is the early Muromachi main hall of Honzanji, an old temple in Mimasaka, with a cusped-gable porch of 1350 in Sadamune, Misaki Town, Kume District, Okayama Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on March 28, 1923 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a five-by-five-bay single-storey hall with a hipped roof, a one-bay porch under a cusped gable and a cypress-bark roof; designation number 00788.
The 1923 date in the Agency record is that of its designation under the former law.
A Hall with a Cusped-Gable Porch
The main hall of Honzanji in Sadamune, Misaki Town, Okayama, dates from 1350 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Five bays square and single-storey with a hipped roof of cypress bark, it has a one-bay porch at the front under a cusped karahafu gable.
According to Okayama Kanko Web, Honzanji is said to have been founded in 701 by the monk Raikan. The grounds also keep a three-storey pagoda of the early Edo period and a stone hokyointo of 1335, all Important Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency record has no commentary; the date, 1350, and its form, a five-bay square hipped hall with a cusped-gable porch under cypress bark, set out what was designated.
What to Look For
At the main hall, look for the cusped-gable porch at the front and the hipped cypress-bark roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The main hall is owned by Honzanji (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to Okayama Kanko Web, Honzanji is said to have been founded in 701 by the monk Raikan, and lies about 30 minutes by car from Tsuyama IC on the Chugoku Expressway or about 20 minutes by taxi from JR Yuge Station; it gives no hours or fees. The main hall, pagoda and hokyointo are introduced together on the Honzanji Temple (Misaki) page.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1350 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What form does it take?
- A hipped hall with a gabled porch.
- When was it designated?
- In 1923, under the former law.
- How do I get there?
- By car from Tsuyama IC, or taxi.
- When was the Honzanji Temple Main Hall designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On March 28, 1923 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Honzanji Temple Main Hall (本山寺本堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | Sadamune, Misaki Town, Kume District, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1923/03/28 (Taisho 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 5 bays by 5 bays, single storey, hipped roof, one-bay porch with cusped gable, cypress-bark roof |
| Owner | Honzanji Temple |
| Public Access | About 30 minutes by car from Tsuyama IC on the Chugoku Expressway, or about 20 minutes by taxi from JR Yuge Station (Okayama Kanko Web) |
References
- Honzanji Temple Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/3101
- Honzanji Temple (Okayama Kanko Web, in Japanese)
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/spot/detail_11898.html
Last verified: 2026.11.10
