Jissaiji Bell Tower

A One-Bay Bell Tower That Came Over From the Cemetery

Jissaiji Bell Tower (実際寺鐘楼, Jissai-ji Shōrō) is the bell tower of Jissaiji, a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Nakashima district of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture; its ridge tablet dates it to 1879, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) on December 5, 2019.

It stands toward the south of the precinct, southeast of the main hall. The plan is a single bay square, four posts enclosing one ken each way, for an area of 3.8 square metres. The roof is Irimoya-zukuri in Hongawarabuki tile. With no walls at all, the tower shows its posts, tie beams and brackets openly from every side.

Jissaiji Bell Tower did not start out here. Okayama Prefecture records that it was moved from the cemetery on the west side of the grounds to its present spot during repairs in 1926, so for its first 47 years or so it stood by the graves. The Agency for Cultural Affairs also notes that it reuses timbers from before the Meiji era. A Meiji building, in other words, with Edo-period wood inside it.

Why Jissaiji Bell Tower Was Registered

Jissaiji Bell Tower holds registration number 33-0332 from the ninety-fourth round of registrations and was entered as contributing to the historic landscape of the country. It is one of six Jissaiji structures registered on the same day.

Small as it is, the tower is not a simplified one. It has the full set of features that mark a properly built Japanese bell tower: posts that lean inward on all four sides, tie beams at three levels, and Mitsudo-gumi brackets on the post heads. It sits toward the south of the precinct, in view almost as soon as you pass through the gate, which is how it earns its place in the temple's landscape.

Its history adds to the case. Because a Munafuda ridge tablet survives, the construction year of 1879 is secure, and the 1926 move is on record too. A bell tower whose original site, move and reason for moving can all be traced is a useful marker for how the precinct changed over time.

A Lower Tie Beam on the East Side

The most interesting thing about Jissaiji Bell Tower is that its tie beams do not all sit at the same height. The Agency describes the inward-leaning square posts as held together by three tiers of tie beams: a low koshinuki, a middle hinuki and a top kashiranuki. On the east side, where the shumoku striking log hangs, the low beam is set one step lower than on the other three sides.

The shumoku is a horizontal log hung on ropes and swung to strike the bell. If the east-side beam matched the other three, it would sit close to the body and arms of whoever pulls the log. Dropping it a step was most likely meant to keep it clear of that motion. The builders chose ease of use over four matching faces.

On top of the posts, bracket arms laid out as a frame carry three bearing blocks each, forming the three-block brackets that support the beams. The eaves have a single layer of widely spaced rafters, and the gables are filled with diamond lattice. All of this is standard vocabulary for a Japanese bell tower, fitted without waste into a footprint of 3.8 square metres.

According to the Okayama Tourism Federation, Jissaiji Bell Tower also carries a dragon ornament.

Seeing Jissaiji Bell Tower

Because Jissaiji Bell Tower is open-sided, walking once around it explains the structure. Start from the south to take in the whole form and see how the posts lean inward. Then move to the east side, where the lowered beam and the position of the striking log make sense together. Coming in through the gate, the tower is on your left toward the back.

Okayama Prefecture lists access to the Jissaiji buildings as exterior only. The bell is used by the temple for services and observances, so please do not touch the striking log or ring the bell without permission. There is no published photography policy, and it is courteous to ask someone at the temple before taking pictures. Directions to the temple are on the Jissaiji Temple page.