A Former Sub-Temple Kitchen Hall in the Honbo
Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall (金剛寺本坊客殿, Kongō-ji Honbō Kyakuden) is a mid-Edo building (1661 to 1751) in the head priest's quarters of Amanosan Kongoji in Amanocho, Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 28, 2017. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it began life as the priests' living and kitchen hall of Chuin, one of Kongoji's sub-temples.
Chuin was merged into Kongoji in 1911, together with Rishu-in and Kannon-in. Its grounds, joined with the neighbouring site of Kanzoin, became today's Honbo, the temple's administrative quarters, and Chuin's buildings stayed in use there. The temple's conservation plan treats the early modern buildings of the Honbo as survivors of the old sub-temples.
The Honbo also has a second guest hall built in the Heisei era. The registered Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall is the mid-Edo one, so keep the two apart.
Two Rows of Rooms Opening to the Garden
The Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency points to the way it faces the garden and shapes the scenery of the precinct.
The building measures 6 by 3.5 Ken and covers 83 square metres. It faces east, with a broad veranda on all sides, under a hip-and-gable roof of round-and-flat tiles.
The plan has two rows: three 8-mat rooms in a line at the front and a strip 1 ken deep at the back. Ceilings are simple batten ceilings, and the transoms between rooms are comb-like lattices of fine vertical slats. With the partitions removed, the three front rooms become one long reception space.
Repairs on Record, and Sources That Disagree
The Agency's record lists a renovation of the Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall in 1991. The building inventory in the temple's conservation plan instead records a major rebuilding in 1982 and 1983. The dates do not match; the building may have been worked on twice, but the sources do not say.
The two sources also differ on origins. The Agency calls it Chuin's kitchen hall, while the plan says the Honbo site contains "the former Chuin study hall and Jibutsudo, and the former Kanzoin kitchen hall." This article follows the Agency.
The plan adds that the roof needs maintenance repairs.
Visiting the Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall
The Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall faces the Honbo garden, so visitors to the Honbo see it from the garden side. The Honbo ticket is required.
From the garden, look at the broad veranda along the east front and the layered tiles of the hip-and-gable roof. Ask at reception if you may step inside and if photography is allowed. Directions, opening hours, and admission for the whole precinct are on the Amanosan Kongoji Temple page.
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Q&A
- Can visitors see the Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall?
- Yes, from the garden side as part of the Honbo visit. Ask at reception about entering the rooms.
- When was the Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the mid-Edo period (1661 to 1751) with a renovation in 1991. The temple's conservation plan records a major rebuilding in 1982 and 1983.
- What was the Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall originally?
- According to the Agency, it was the kitchen and living hall of Chuin, a sub-temple merged into Kongoji in 1911.
- How is the Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall laid out?
- It faces east with a broad veranda, three 8-mat rooms in a row at the front, and a narrow strip behind, with batten ceilings and comb-like transoms.
- Is the Heisei-era guest hall the same as the Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall?
- No. Only the mid-Edo Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property; the guest hall built in the Heisei era is not registered.
Basic Information
| Name | Kongoji Temple Honbo Guest Hall (金剛寺本坊客殿) |
|---|---|
| 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; hip-and-gable roof with round-and-flat tiles; building area 83 square metres; 6 by 3.5 ken |
| Owner | Amanosan Kongoji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable within the paid Honbo visit |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kongoji Honbo Kyakuden (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011758
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kongoji Honbo Kyakuden
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/222664
- 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
