A Thatched Hall at the Back of the Honbo Garden
Kongoji Honbo Okuden (金剛寺本坊奥殿, Kongō-ji Honbō Okuden) is the inner hall of the head priest's quarters at Amanosan Kongoji in Amanocho, Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture; it was built in 1913 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on June 28, 2017. It stands at the far side of the Honbo garden under a hip-and-gable thatched roof.
The Honbo is Kongoji's administrative core, and it occupies the former sites of two sub-temples, Chuin and Kanzoin. Kanzoin is remembered as the place where three retired emperors of the Northern Court, Kogon, Komyo, and Suko, were held for about three years from 1354 during the conflict between the Northern and Southern Courts. The temple presents the Kongoji Honbo Okuden as the spot identified with their residence.
The building you see, though, dates from the Taisho era. It is a modern structure that gives architectural form to a medieval memory.
An Imperial Suite Around an 18-Mat Room
The Kongoji Honbo Okuden was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a surviving example of a large gozasho, a suite prepared for an exalted guest.
It measures 5 by 4 Ken and covers 284 square metres. The main roof is thatch in the hip-and-gable form, while the surrounding eaves are finished in pantiles. Inside, six rooms in two rows cluster around an 18-mat room, and a veranda 1 ken wide, laid with Tatami, wraps around them. An annex at the southeast corner holds a bath and other service rooms.
Only the gozanoma, the room where the honoured guest would sit, has a coffered ceiling; every other room has a plain batten ceiling. That single distinction makes the building's purpose clear.
Medieval History, Taisho Architecture
The temple's conservation plan treats the Honbo area as a place bound up with the history of the Northern and Southern Courts and labels the Kongoji Honbo Okuden as the Northern Court residence. It also groups the hall with the Honbo corridor, the Grand Entrance, and the Great Lecture Hall on the east bank as features tied to the commemoration of the Southern Court and to civic education before and during the war.
The sequence runs like this: Chuin and other sub-temples were merged into Kongoji in 1911, and the Okuden went up two years later. In 1934 the precinct, including the Honbo (Kanzoin) and Mani-in, was designated a national Historic Site.
The contrast between the heavy thatch and the tiled eaves is easiest to read through the trees of the garden.
Visiting the Kongoji Honbo Okuden
The Kongoji Honbo Okuden lies within the Honbo visitor area, and the temple lists it among the highlights of the precinct. Seeing it requires the Honbo ticket, which is sold separately from admission to the central compound.
According to the Agency, a covered corridor connects the Okuden with the Grand Entrance. Keeping that corridor, with its small arbor halfway along, in mind as you walk the garden helps make sense of how the Honbo buildings fit together. Ask at reception if photography is allowed indoors. 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 Honbo Okuden?
- Yes. The Kongoji Honbo Okuden is part of the Honbo visitor area and needs the Honbo ticket; prices and hours are on the Amanosan Kongoji Temple page.
- When was the Kongoji Honbo Okuden built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to 1913.
- What connects the Kongoji Honbo Okuden with the Northern Court emperors?
- The Honbo stands on the site of Kanzoin, where retired emperors Kogon, Komyo, and Suko were held for about three years from 1354. The temple identifies the Okuden with their residence, although the present building is from the Taisho era.
- What are the architectural features of the Kongoji Honbo Okuden?
- A thatched hip-and-gable roof with pantiled eaves, six rooms in two rows around an 18-mat room, a tatami veranda, and a coffered ceiling reserved for the guest room.
- What is notable about the ceilings of the Kongoji Honbo Okuden?
- Only the guest room has a coffered ceiling, while every other room has a plain batten ceiling. That distinction marks the building as a suite prepared for an honoured guest.
Basic Information
| Name | Kongoji Honbo Okuden (金剛寺本坊奥殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 995 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; thatched roof, partly tiled; building area 284 square metres; 5 by 4 ken |
| Owner | Amanosan Kongoji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Viewable within the paid Honbo visit |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kongoji Honbo Okuden (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011760
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kongoji Honbo Okuden
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/286006
- Amanosan Kongoji official website (visitor information and highlights)
- https://amanosan-kongoji.jp/
- Amanosan Kongoji: History
- https://amanosan-kongoji.jp/about/history/
- 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
