A Refectory That Housed an Emperor
Kongoji Temple Refectory (金剛寺食堂, Kongō-ji Jikidō) is a hall of the early Muromachi period (1333 to 1392) at Amanosan Kongoji in Amanocho, Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture; it was designated by the national government on November 6, 1941, and is today an Important Cultural Property.
A jikido is where monks gathered to eat. The Kongoji Temple Refectory stands east of the main hall in the central compound, and the temple's conservation plan labels its site with the name Amano-dono.
According to the temple's history, Emperor Go-Murakami of the Southern Court made the sub-temple Mani-in and this refectory his temporary palace for five years from 1354. The temple says he conducted the affairs of state here for about five years.
A Gable-End Front with a Cusped Gable
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the Kongoji Temple Refectory as 7 by 3 Ken and single-storey, under a hip-and-gable roof of round-and-flat tiles, with its entrance on the gable end (Tsumairi). A cusped gable is set over the front eaves.
On a gable-entry building the triangular end of the roof faces you. Here a curving karahafu sits beneath that triangle, turning the short side of a long hall into a proper façade.
Sources differ on how that cusped gable is roofed. The Agency says round-and-flat tiles, while the temple's plan describes the front gable as cypress bark and mentions "the cypress bark on the gable front" again when discussing roof damage. This article gives both.
The 1941 designation was made under the preservation law enacted in the Showa era. The Kongoji Temple Refectory became an Important Cultural Property when the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties took effect on August 29, 1950.
A Roof Repaired Many Times
The plan's building inventory records a fundamental repair of the Kongoji Temple Refectory in 1606 and further repairs in 1700. The roof was re-covered in 1924 and dismantled and repaired in 1954; the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education published the report on that work in 1955. Part of the roof was repaired again in 1995.
On its present state, the plan says the structure needs minor repairs and the roof needs maintenance, and it proposes to monitor wear on the bark-covered front and the tiled main roof before deciding how to repair the whole roof.
Visiting the Kongoji Temple Refectory
The Kongoji Temple Refectory is inside the central compound and can be seen from outside with the compound ticket. Stand in front of it to see how the triangular gable and the curved karahafu below it are layered.
Ask at reception whether you may enter and whether photography is allowed. Directions, opening hours, and admission are on the Amanosan Kongoji Temple page.
Q&A
- Why is the Kongoji Temple Refectory linked to the Southern Court?
- According to the temple, Emperor Go-Murakami used Mani-in and the Kongoji Temple Refectory as his temporary palace for five years from 1354 and governed from here.
- When was the Kongoji Temple Refectory built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Muromachi period (1333 to 1392).
- What does the Kongoji Temple Refectory look like?
- It is a 7 by 3 ken hall with a tiled hip-and-gable roof, entered from the gable end, with a cusped gable over the front eaves.
- How is the name of the Kongoji Temple Refectory read?
- Jikido, a word for the hall where monks take their meals. The temple's plan also labels the site of the Kongoji Temple Refectory as Amano-dono.
- When did the Kongoji Temple Refectory become an Important Cultural Property?
- It was designated on November 6, 1941, and became an Important Cultural Property on August 29, 1950, when the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties took effect.
Basic Information
| Name | Kongoji Temple Refectory (金剛寺食堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | Amanocho, Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 1941 (Showa 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 7 by 3 ken; single storey; hip-and-gable roof with round-and-flat tiles; gable-end entrance; cusped gable over the front eaves |
| Owner | Kongoji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable within the paid central-compound visit |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kongoji Jikido (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2194
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kongoji Jikido
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/147391
- 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 6-1 (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%A0-1%EF%BC%89.pdf
- Historic Site Kongoji Precinct Conservation and Utilization Plan, chapters 7 to 11 (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%AC7%E7%AB%A0%EF%BD%9E%E7%AC%AC11%E7%AB%A0%EF%BC%89.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.21
