Ishiyama-Dera Temple Bell Tower

Ishiyama-dera Bell Tower: A Kamakura Belfry in a White Skirt

The Ishiyama-Dera Temple Bell Tower (石山寺鐘楼, Ishiyama-dera Shōrō) is a late Kamakura-period belfry in the grounds of Ishiyama-dera in Ōtsu City, Shiga Prefecture, designated an Important Cultural Property in 1907. It is a 2-storey structure 3 by 2 bays in plan, with its lower storey wrapped in a flared, white-plastered base and a temple bell hanging in the open upper storey under an irimoya roof of cypress bark.

You find it on the middle terrace of the temple, east of the Main Hall and facing the sutra repository. Coming up the stone stairs, the first thing you notice through the trees is that pale, skirt-like base, and above it a roof that looks almost too large for the building.

Temple tradition says the Bell Tower was a gift from Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first Kamakura shogun, who died in 1199. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates the building to the late Kamakura period, and Ōtsu City explains that the construction details point to the same era. That leaves a gap of several decades to more than 100 years between legend and architecture. This article follows the national dating and treats the Yoritomo connection as temple lore.

Why the Ishiyama-dera Bell Tower Matters

A hakamagoshi belfry, the type seen here, encloses its lower storey in a sloping wall so that the building appears to wear a pleated skirt, or hakama. The Ishiyama-dera example is unusually big. According to the temple, the upper storey measures 5.6 metres by 3.3 metres, and carrying a bark roof of that span on a skirted base while keeping the proportions balanced is what earns the building its reputation.

When war swept through Ishiyama-dera in 1573, most of the temple burned, but temple records say the Bell Tower survived along with the Main Hall and the Tahōtō pagoda. Since much of today's compound was rebuilt in the Keichō era (1596 to 1615), the Bell Tower is one of the few buildings on site that genuinely predates that revival.

The designation also covers 1 munafuda, a wooden ridge tablet recording the building's history, protected together with the structure.

A Heian bell rung from below

The bell in the upper storey is older than the tower itself. It dates from the Heian period, carries no inscription, and is prized for its tone; it holds its own Important Cultural Property designation. By the time this belfry went up in the late Kamakura period, the bell was already an heirloom.

The temple notes an unusual detail: the bell is sounded by pulling the striking beam's rope from inside the lower storey, so no one needs to climb up to ring it.

What to Look For

Start with the contrast between the heavy base and the light upper floor. The white wall lifts the building like a pedestal, while the posts and brackets above stand open to the air. Walk around to the side and the long, narrow plan becomes obvious: 5.6 metres across the front against 3.3 metres on the sides, with the roof's triangular gables turned to the short ends.

Look closely at the eaves. A cypress-bark roof is laid in thin, overlapping sheets, and the cut edge at the eave shows dozens of fine layers. The tiled roofs of the East Gate and the sutra repository nearby make a useful comparison.

The bell hangs inside the upper storey, so you view it from below. Stepping back a few paces from the base gives a better line of sight into the belfry than standing right against the wall.

Visiting the Ishiyama-dera Bell Tower

The Ishiyama-dera Bell Tower stands in the open and can be viewed from outside at any time the temple gates are open. Entry to the grounds requires the temple admission fee. The interior and the upper storey are closed to visitors.

Personal photography of building exteriors is free and needs no permit, and the temple specifically lists the Bell Tower as a permitted location. If you use a tripod, keep it off the moss and plantings.

From the Main Hall, walk east and the Bell Tower appears ahead. Directions, opening hours and admission for the whole temple are on the Ishiyama-dera page.