Saikyoji Temple Sutra Repository

A Plastered Sutra Repository of Around 1891

Saikyoji Temple Sutra Repository (西教寺経蔵, Saikyō-ji Kyōzō) is a fire-resistant storehouse for Buddhist scriptures, built around 1891 in the northern part of the front garden of 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 dozo-zukuri building, square in plan, with a footprint of 6.1 square metres. The pyramidal hogyo roof is laid with interlocking round and flat tiles and topped by a jewel-shaped finial. A kyozo keeps sutras, and building it as an earthen storehouse protected them from fire.

On the north side of the precinct, the pyramid roof of the Saikyoji sutra repository joins the North Gate, the drum tower and the main-hall roof in shaping the view from the road.

Woodwork Rendered in Plaster

The Saikyoji Temple Sutra Repository was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs commends its solid plasterwork.

The exterior is finished in lime plaster, carried right out to the eaves, which are modelled to look like boarded eaves. Posts, nageshi rails, funahijiki bracket arms and kaerumata braces, details normally made in timber, are all reproduced in plaster.

Inside, the finish switches to bare, unpainted wood, fitted with shelves for the scriptures: fire-resistant plaster outside, moisture-friendly timber within.

What to Look For

Step close to the walls and you will see the posts, rails, bracket arms and braces standing out from the white surface like plaster relief. The plasterer has translated the look of a timber hall onto the skin of a storehouse.

Look up, too, at the finial on the roof and the plastered eaves. Though small and square, the building's pyramid roof rises cleanly and draws the eye in the front garden.

Visiting the Saikyoji Temple Sutra Repository

The Saikyoji Temple Sutra Repository stands in the northern part of the front garden; its exterior can be seen from inside the precinct, and its roof from the road to the north. Official information does not mention access to the interior, so ask the temple, and ask about photography as well. Directions are on the Saikyoji Temple (Izumi) page.