Saikyoji Temple Main Hall

A 15-Metre-Wide Hall Built for Shin Buddhist Services

Saikyoji Temple Main Hall (西教寺本堂, Saikyō-ji Hondō) is a late Edo-period Buddhist hall, raised in 1808, at Saikyoji in Saiwai, Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, and it was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 7, 2014.

It is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a footprint of 272 square metres. The front measures 15 metres across, and a tea room and an inner reception room are attached at the back. According to the temple, a broad veranda and a kohai porch run along the front, and the façade is divided into three bays, the standard arrangement for a Jodo Shinshu main hall.

The hall was renovated around the Taisho era (1912 to 1926). The temple's history records an earlier main hall built in 1673; the Saikyoji main hall you see today replaced it.

Built for Listening: Floor Plan and Ornament

The Saikyoji Temple Main Hall was registered as a building that contributes to Japan's historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points to the lavish carving and polychrome work around the inner sanctuary and along the boundary between the inner and outer halls as typical of its period.

The layout follows the conventions of Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land) Buddhism. At the rear is the naijin, the sanctuary for the image of Amida Buddha, with side chambers called yoma to left and right; all three sit on a raised floor. Behind the shumidan altar platform, a rear door lets priests enter the sanctuary from behind.

In front lies the gejin, one long room running from side to side. Its front bays are wide and no posts stand inside it. Shin Buddhism places the gathered lay congregation at the heart of worship, and this open room lets a large crowd sit together with an unobstructed view of the altar.

What to Look For

The ornament of the sanctuary is the highlight. The temple describes the naijin as finished in gold leaf and rich colour, with flowers and plants painted in the panels of its coffered ceiling. From the outer hall, the carved transoms and post fittings along the boundary frame the gilded space beyond.

Outside, notice the depth that the kohai porch and veranda give the façade. Walk through the Great Gate and the Saikyoji main hall faces you; to its left the Shikidai Entrance and Shoin of 1859 is joined on. Seen together, the two show how the temple separated the space for services from the space for receiving guests.

Visiting the Saikyoji Temple Main Hall

The Saikyoji Temple Main Hall is still used for memorial services and temple events, and you can view its exterior from the precinct. There are no set hours for seeing the interior, so contact the temple in advance if you hope to go inside. The temple notes that a ramp leads up into the hall and chairs are provided. Ask about photography before taking pictures. Directions are on the Saikyoji Temple (Izumi) page.