A Muromachi Pagoda Brought from Ushimado
The Shinkoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda (真光寺三重塔) is a mid-Muromachi-period three-storey pagoda at Shinkoji Temple in Nishikatakami, Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on November 14, 1953. According to Okayama Prefecture, it originally stood at Rengechoji Temple in the port town of Ushimado and was moved here in 1601.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a three-bay, three-storey pagoda with a hongawara tiled roof, dating from the mid-Muromachi period. It stands 18.24 metres tall (Okayama Prefecture), and the Okayama tourism federation describes it as a red pagoda that keeps its Muromachi character.
Why It Was Designated
The Shinkoji pagoda was designated in 1953, together with the temple's main hall. Built in the mid-Muromachi period, it was moved from Ushimado to Katakami at the start of the early modern era and has stood here since.
Okayama Prefecture singles out the frog-leg struts (kaerumata) at the centre of each face of the first storey. Their shape is Muromachi in style, and each is carved with a moon disc holding a Sanskrit seed syllable, the single character that stands for a Buddha. Dateable details like these survived the move intact.
What to Look For
The Shinkoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda is three bays square, with two tiers of closely set rafters under its eaves (Okayama Prefecture). Walk around the first storey and compare the frog-leg struts on each face, each with its moon disc and seed syllable.
Inside, two pillars support a screen wall behind an altar on which sits a seated Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana), carved from three blocks of agalmatolite by the sculptor Yagi Jokei (Okayama Prefecture).
Seen beside the main hall, the 18.24-metre pagoda makes a clear contrast: one building widened by enlargement, the other drawn upward.
Visiting the Shinkoji Pagoda
Only the exterior of the Shinkoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda is open to visitors (Okayama Prefecture); the Dainichi image inside is not normally shown. Directions and contact details are on the Shinkoji Temple page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Shinkoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Shinkoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Muromachi period; Okayama Prefecture says it was moved here from Rengechoji in Ushimado in 1601.
- How tall is the Shinkoji pagoda?
- 18.24 metres in total (Okayama Prefecture).
- When did the Shinkoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda become an Important Cultural Property?
- On November 14, 1953, the same day as the main hall.
- What is carved on the Shinkoji pagoda's frog-leg struts?
- A moon disc holding a Sanskrit seed syllable, at the centre of each face of the first storey.
- Can you go inside the Shinkoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda?
- No. Only the exterior is open; inside is an agalmatolite Dainichi Nyorai by Yagi Jokei.
Basic Information
| Name | Shinkoji Temple Three-Story Pagoda (真光寺三重塔) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1509 Nishikatakami, Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture (Shinkoji Temple grounds) |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1953/11/14 (Showa 28) |
| Quantity | 1 pagoda |
| Dimensions | Three bays, three storeys, hongawara tiled roof; total height 18.24 metres |
| Owner | Shinkoji Kazoin and Shinkoji Jishoin |
| Public Access | Exterior only |
References
- Shinkoji Three-Story Pagoda (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/3060
- Shinkoji Three-Story Pagoda (Okayama Prefecture cultural properties)
- https://www.pref.okayama.jp/uploaded/attachment/260764.pdf
- Shinkoji Temple (Okayama Tourism Federation)
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/fc/location/detail_15388.html
Last verified: 2026.10.06
