On a High Stone Podium, Probably the Oldest Thing Here
Guzeiji Temple Bell Tower (弘誓寺鐘楼堂, Guzeiji Shōrōdō) is a mid Edo-period belfry in Takebe Shimono-chō, Higashiōmi City, Shiga Prefecture, built between the later seventeenth and earlier eighteenth centuries and entered on the national register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in 2021. It stands in the south-eastern part of the precinct on a tall podium of stacked stone, and covers 13 square metres.
Four round columns lean very slightly inward. Three horizontal tie beams bind them at different heights: one low down, one at door-head level and one at the top. The bracketing is Mitsudo-gumi, with a Kaerumata frog-leg strut set between the brackets. At the gable a Taiheizuka strut rises from a Kōryō beam to carry the ridge. The roof is Kirizuma-zukuri, laid in Hongawarabuki tiling.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that Guzeiji Temple Bell Tower is thought to be the oldest surviving building in the precinct. The main hall dates from 1788, the priests' quarters from 1805 and the front gate from 1721, so the belfry very likely predates all of them.
Where the Temple's Clock Begins
The criterion applied was contribution to the historic landscape. The south-eastern corner is the part of the precinct a visitor coming from the village sees first, and lifting a small building onto a high podium makes it legible from a distance.
Five buildings at this temple were registered together on 26 February 2021: the front gate, middle gate, entrance hall, priests' quarters and this belfry. Their dates spread from 1721 to the later Edo period, and Guzeiji Temple Bell Tower is understood to sit at the early end of that range. The main hall of 1788 followed a different route, becoming a Higashiōmi City designated cultural property on 17 March 2023.
A Registered Tangible Cultural Property is registered rather than designated, under a system introduced in 1996 that sits alongside the older designation framework.
What to Look At
What makes this building useful to look at is that nothing is hidden. The four round columns are tied by three horizontals at three heights, and because there are no walls you can see exactly where the frame is gripped. Few buildings explain a Japanese timber frame this plainly.
Above the columns sits the bracketing: three bearing blocks per set, the basic arrangement, with a frog-leg strut in the space between. The strut takes its name from the shape of its outline, and it spreads load while doubling as ornament.
Because the podium is tall, the viewing angle is steep. Approach from the stepped side, take in the outline from a short distance, then come close to the foot of the podium and look up into the bracketing. From there the balance of the thing becomes clear: a heavy tiled roof resting on four slender posts.
Visiting
The belfry stands in the open air, so once inside the precinct it can be viewed freely from all sides. Guzeiji is a working parish temple rather than a sightseeing temple, and no visiting hours or admission fee have been published for Guzeiji Temple Bell Tower; neither the Agency for Cultural Affairs database nor Higashiōmi City's cultural property listings records any, as checked in September 2026. Visitors cannot ring the bell, and the stone podium is high, so do not climb it.
No photography policy has been published. Photographing the exterior from the precinct is not generally obstructed; avoid doing so during services.
The nearest station is Kawabe-no-Mori on the Ōmi Railway Main Line, about 600 metres to the north-west, roughly a ten-minute walk. The station is unstaffed and trains are infrequent, so a taxi from Yōkaichi Station is a practical alternative. By car, allow about ten minutes from the Yōkaichi interchange on the Meishin Expressway.
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Q&A
- When was Guzeiji Temple Bell Tower built?
- In the mid Edo period, between the later seventeenth and earlier eighteenth centuries. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records that it is thought to be the oldest surviving building in the precinct. It was registered on 26 February 2021.
- Can visitors see Guzeiji Temple Bell Tower, and is there an admission fee?
- It stands in the open precinct and can be viewed from all sides once you enter. No visiting hours or admission fee have been published, as of September 2026.
- Can visitors ring the bell at Guzeiji Temple Bell Tower?
- No. The bell is not opened to visitors, and the stone podium is high, so it should not be climbed.
- What should visitors look for at Guzeiji Temple Bell Tower?
- The three tie beams binding the four columns at three different heights, visible because there are no walls, together with the three-block bracketing and the frog-leg strut between the brackets.
- How do you reach Guzeiji Temple Bell Tower?
- Kawabe-no-Mori Station on the Ōmi Railway Main Line is about 600 metres away, a ten-minute walk. A taxi from Yōkaichi Station is an alternative, as trains are infrequent.
Basic Information
| Name | Guzeiji Temple Bell Tower (弘誓寺鐘楼堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | 282 Takebe Shimonocho, Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered on 26 February 2021 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof; floor area 13 square metres |
| Owner | Guzeiji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the precinct; no published hours or admission fee |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Guzeiji Shorodo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013745
- Cultural Heritage Online: Guzeiji Shorodo
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/517387
- Higashiomi City: List of Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.higashiomi.shiga.jp/bunka_sports_shougaigakushu/rekishi_bunka/1003140/1003141.html
- Higashiomi City: List of Tangible Cultural Properties (Structures)
- https://www.city.higashiomi.shiga.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/003/141/r5.5.1kenzoubutsu.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.07