A passage running north from the guest hall
The Myokyoji Drum Tower and Corridor (妙教寺太鼓楼及び渡廊下, Myōkyō-ji Taikorō oyobi Watari-rōka) is a late Meiji-era roofed passage running north from the guest hall at Saijo Inari Myokyoji in Takamatsu Inari, Kita Ward, Okayama City, with a drum tower at its far end, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2009/01/08. It was altered in the early Taisho era; an Okayama City article dates it to around 1897.
A drum tower houses the drum that marks the hours, and temples often pair one with a bell tower. Here the drum tower also contains a staircase, so the Myokyoji Drum Tower and Corridor turns a horizontal passage into a vertical one at its end.
A tall tower and a pause halfway
The drum tower is 2.4 metres square and unusually tall for its footprint, rising two storeys to a pyramidal roof of heavy tiles. It covers only 6 square metres, but its height makes it the eye-catcher from the garden.
The corridor has a gabled pantile roof and covers 58 square metres. Halfway along, a board-floored bay 3.3 metres square is raised under a hipped roof, breaking the long roofline. It reads as a place to stop and look at the garden.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered the Myokyoji Drum Tower and Corridor for the way it frames the garden north of the guest hall. It is valued less as a building on its own than as the garden's edge.
What to look for, and visiting
The Myokyoji Drum Tower and Corridor lies north of the guest hall and is seen at close range on the paid Kanshotei garden and guest hall visit, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., adults from 300 yen. The drum tower itself is not open.
From the garden side, look at the contrast between the slim, tall tower and the long, low corridor, and at the hipped bay that lifts the roofline midway. Opening hours and directions are on the Saijo Inari Myokyoji page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Myokyoji Drum Tower and Corridor
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- Where is the Myokyoji Drum Tower and Corridor?
- It runs north from the west end of the guest hall's north side, with the drum tower at its northern end, framing the garden behind the hall.
- When was the Myokyoji Drum Tower and Corridor built?
- In the late Meiji era according to the national database, with alterations in the early Taisho era.
- What does the drum tower look like?
- A tall two-storey tower 2.4 metres square under a pyramidal tiled roof. It also serves as a staircase.
- Can I visit the Myokyoji Drum Tower and Corridor?
- You can see it on the paid Kanshotei garden and guest hall visit; the tower's interior is closed.
- Why was the drum tower and corridor registered?
- For its contribution to the historic landscape as part of the garden setting north of the guest hall.
Basic Information
| Name | Myokyoji Drum Tower and Corridor (妙教寺太鼓楼及び渡廊下) |
|---|---|
| Location | 712 Takamatsu Inari, Kita Ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 33-0173 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009/01/08 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Drum tower: 2-storey timber, pyramidal tiled roof, building area 6 square metres; corridor: timber, gabled pantile roof, area 58 square metres |
| Owner | Saijo Inarisan Myokyoji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Seen on the paid Kanshotei garden and guest hall visit (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., adults from 300 yen); drum tower interior closed |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Myokyoji Drum Tower and Corridor
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007556
- Okayama City — Modern Japanese-style architecture at Saijo Inari Myokyoji, by Yasukawa Mitsuru (Japanese)
- https://www.city.okayama.jp/kankou/cmsfiles/contents/0000005/5279/000179262.pdf
- Saijo Inari official site — Great guest hall (Japanese)
- https://inari.ne.jp/facility/230/
- Saijo Inari official site — Kanshotei garden (Japanese)
- https://inari.ne.jp/facility/228/
Last verified: 2026.10.01
