The Front of the Honbo, Built in the Year of Consolidation
Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance (金剛寺本坊大玄関, Kongō-ji Honbō Daigenkan) is the entrance building of the head priest's quarters at Amanosan Kongoji in Amanocho, Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture; it was built in 1911 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 28, 2017.
The year matters. In 1911 the sub-temples Rishu-in, Kannon-in, and Chuin were merged into Kongoji, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs says the Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance was built as part of that consolidation. The temple's conservation plan adds that it was created by heavily remodelling an earlier Edo-period building, and it counts the structure among the surviving remains of the former sub-temples.
A Bark-Roofed Formal Porch and Three Linked Rooms
The Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency describes it as the building that gives the Honbo its weighty front.
The main block has a hip-and-gable roof of round-and-flat tiles and contains three rooms of 6, 8, and 6 mats. In front of it is a formal reception porch roofed with cypress bark, and a tea room is set beside the porch on the west. The building area is 122 square metres. The conservation plan notes a cusped karahafu gable on the front.
Open verandas run along the south and west. On the south side, curved shrimp-shaped tie beams span the veranda, and the underside of the eaves is left exposed so that the lath and rafters show. The contrast between the heavy tiled main roof and the soft bark roof of the porch is the thing to see.
A Recent Repair and the Backbone of the Honbo
According to the conservation plan, the Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance underwent a partial dismantling repair between 2020 and 2022, a scale of work in which sections of the building are taken apart so that damaged members can be mended.
The Agency treats this entrance and the north-facing Honbo Front Gate as a pair that together express the standing of the Honbo.
A Taisho-era corridor runs from the entrance to the Okuden at the back of the garden. That chain of entrance, corridor, and inner hall forms the backbone of the Honbo complex.
Visiting the Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance
The Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance forms the front of the Honbo. When you arrive, look first at the bark-roofed porch and its gable.
The curved tie beams over the south veranda and the exposed eaves are also worth attention. Ask at reception how far visitors may enter and if photography is allowed. The Honbo ticket is required. Directions, opening hours, and admission for the whole precinct are on the Amanosan Kongoji Temple page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Osaka
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance
- [ USJ Tickets Osaka Castle & Dotonbori Food Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1911, the year Rishu-in, Kannon-in, and Chuin were merged into Kongoji. It was built as part of that consolidation.
- What are the architectural features of the Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance?
- A tiled hip-and-gable main block with rooms of 6, 8, and 6 mats, a formal porch roofed in cypress bark, curved tie beams over the south veranda, and exposed eaves.
- Has the Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance been repaired?
- Yes. The temple's conservation plan records a partial dismantling repair carried out between 2020 and 2022.
- Can visitors see the Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance?
- Yes. It stands at the front of the Honbo and can be seen during a Honbo visit; prices and hours are on the Amanosan Kongoji Temple page.
- Is the tea room beside the Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance the registered Honbo Tea Room?
- The Agency says the entrance has a tea room beside its porch on the west. It describes the separately registered Honbo Tea Room as standing behind the Jibutsudo, so the two descriptions place them differently.
Basic Information
| Name | Kongoji Temple Honbo Grand Entrance (金剛寺本坊大玄関) |
|---|---|
| Location | 996 Amano-cho, Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2017 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building; tiled roof, partly cypress bark; building area 122 square metres |
| Owner | Amanosan Kongoji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Viewable within the paid Honbo visit |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kongoji Honbo Daigenkan (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011759
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kongoji Honbo Daigenkan
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/256395
- Amanosan Kongoji official website (visitor information)
- https://amanosan-kongoji.jp/
- Historic Site Kongoji Precinct Conservation and Utilization Plan, cover to chapter 5 (PDF)
- https://amanosan-kongoji.jp/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/%E5%8F%B2%E8%B7%A1%E9%87%91%E5%89%9B%E5%AF%BA%E5%A2%83%E5%86%85%E4%BF%9D%E5%AD%98%E6%B4%BB%E7%94%A8%E8%A8%88%E7%94%BB_%E8%BB%BD%E9%87%8F%E7%89%88%EF%BC%88%E8%A1%A8%E7%B4%99%EF%BD%9E%E7%AC%AC5%E7%AB%A0%EF%BC%89.pdf
- Historic Site Kongoji Precinct Conservation and Utilization Plan, chapter 6-2 (PDF)
- https://amanosan-kongoji.jp/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/%E5%8F%B2%E8%B7%A1%E9%87%91%E5%89%9B%E5%AF%BA%E5%A2%83%E5%86%85%E4%BF%9D%E5%AD%98%E6%B4%BB%E7%94%A8%E8%A8%88%E7%94%BB_%E8%BB%BD%E9%87%8F%E7%89%88%EF%BC%88%E7%AC%AC6%E7%AB%A0-2%EF%BC%89.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.15
