Homyoji Temple Bell Tower

What Is Homyoji Temple Bell Tower?

Homyoji Temple Bell Tower (法明寺鐘楼, Hōmyō-ji Shōrō) is the belfry of Homyoji, a Jodo Shu (Pure Land) Buddhist temple in Fukae-minami, Higashinari Ward, Osaka City; built in 1713, it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) of Japan on August 7, 2023. It is a timber structure with a tiled roof covering 11 square meters.

The Shōrō stands in the southwest corner of the grounds, to the far left as you come in through the Yakuimon Gate. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records repairs in 1912 and 2014.

Why Homyoji Temple Bell Tower Was Registered

Homyoji Temple Bell Tower was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2023, and like the Main Hall it was registered as a model of its type. The Agency's commentary calls it valuable for three reasons: its heavy timber frame, its neatly finished carved details, and the fact that its construction date is known.

That firm date of 1713 matters. It anchors the carving and joinery to a specific moment in the mid-Edo period, and Osaka Cultural Properties Navi likewise describes the tower as a rare survivor that keeps its mid-Edo form.

Details to Look for on the Bell Tower

The roof of Homyoji Temple Bell Tower is a simple gable (Kirizuma-zukuri) laid with round-and-flat tiles (Hongawarabuki), and the eaves use closely spaced double-layer rafters. Above the posts sit an arched tie beam (Kōryō), a frog-leg strut (Kaerumata), and bracket arms carved with scrolls and leaf patterns. For so small a building, the decoration holds its own beside the Main Hall. The Agency's database includes a photograph of the gable end taken from the east, which is the side to visit for the framing under the gable.

The posts are square, with their corners finished in a stepped chamfer known as kichomen-dori, and the bottom of each post is tapered in a detail called chimaki, after the narrow-ended rice dumpling. Look at the feet of the posts and you will see them narrow slightly just above the stones.

The platform is faced with closely fitted cut stone (Kirikomi-hagi), and a flight of cut-stone steps rises on the north side.

The bell itself is not part of the registration. According to Osaka Cultural Properties Navi, the old bell was given up for wartime metal collection, and a bell of the same design was cast again in 1980; the relief of celestial maidens on it is the work of Kakutani Ikkei, a celebrated maker of iron tea kettles.

Visiting Homyoji Temple Bell Tower

You can view Homyoji Temple Bell Tower from the grounds. There is no public bell-ringing that we could find, so please do not climb the platform or strike the bell. The weight of the frame is clearest from the southwest corner, the gable details from the east, and the steps from the north.

Behind the tower, in the northwest of the grounds, stand the Ganzuka stone towers. Keep photographs to the exterior and avoid getting in the way of services or people visiting graves. Directions and visiting conditions for the temple as a whole are on the Homyoji Temple page.