Enkoji Temple Main Hall (Yasu)

A Kamakura Temple Hall in Yasu

The Enkoji Temple Main Hall (Yasu) (圓光寺本堂) is the main hall of Enkoji, a Tendai Shinsei temple at Kunobe, Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture, dated by inscriptions on its pillars and ridge beam to 1257 in the early Kamakura period, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on March 31, 1953 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Shiga Cultural Heritage Protection Association).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records five bays by five, single storey, gabled roof with a one-bay canopy and copper roofing, owned by Enkoji.

The Origins of Enkoji

According to the Shiga Cultural Heritage Protection Association, Enkoji was formed by uniting Chofukuji, a Tendai temple said to have been founded by Saicho, with the Shinsei-school temple Enkoji; it now belongs to the Tendai Shinsei sect as Kankizan Chofukuin Enkoji. The Yasu City Tourism Association says it was revived in the Edo period by merging Chofukuin, devoted to Kannon, and Enkobo, devoted to Amida.

A nine-storied stone pagoda, also an Important Cultural Property, stands in the grounds, and next door is Daigyoji Shrine, said to have begun as the temple's guardian shrine (Shiga Cultural Heritage Protection Association).

Value as an Important Cultural Property

The Enkoji Temple Main Hall (Yasu) was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1953. The association notes that a repair in 1704 turned it into a hip-and-gable, tiled building, but the 1956 dismantling restored its gabled form, unusual for a temple main hall. Its Kamakura building date, known from inscriptions, adds to its value.

What to Look For

The Biwako Visitors Bureau notes that the hall stands just inside the gate and is known for its unusual roof, with the front slope stretched far forward so that from the side it looks like the character "he". The effect is rare for a temple and can make it look like a shrine at first glance.

The Enkoji Temple Main Hall (Yasu) is five bays square with a copper roof (Shiga Cultural Heritage Protection Association, Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

According to the Yasu City Tourism Association, Enkoji is at 266 Kunobe, Yasu City, open from 9:00 to 17:00 for a donation, with parking for three cars. Take the Ohmi Railway bus (Kibe loop) from the north exit of JR Yasu Station for about 3 minutes to Kunobe, or walk about 13 minutes. Telephone 077-587-0172.

The nine-storied pagoda stands before the Enkoji Temple Main Hall (Yasu), and the main hall of Daigyoji Shrine is next door. See the group page Enkoji and Daigyoji Shrine (Yasu) for all three.