About Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda
Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda (鏡神社宝篋印塔, Kagami Jinja Hōkyōintō) is a stone hōkyōintō of the late Kamakura period (1275–1332) on the site of the former Saikōji temple in Kagami, Ryuo Town, Shiga Prefecture. Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1960, on February 9, and belongs to Kagami Shrine.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a stone hōkyōintō, quantity 1, designation number 01459. The Ryuo Town Tourism Association dates it to around 1300, late in the Kamakura period. A hōkyōintō is a type of Buddhist memorial pagoda built of stacked stone parts.
The Saikoji Temple Site
Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda stands not in the shrine precinct but at the foot of the hill across National Route 8, where Saikōji once stood. The temple is said to have been founded by the monk Saichō at the foot of Hoshigamine, one of the twelve peaks of Mount Kagami, and it was abandoned after Oda Nobunaga's troops burned it in 1571 (Ryuo Town Tourism Association).
The pagoda outlived the temple and is now owned by Kagami Shrine.
Form and Significance
According to the Ryuo Town Tourism Association, Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda is 210 cm tall overall, and the shaft below the capstone measures 180 cm around. It rises from a 2-tier platform: a base block, then the shaft, the stepped cap and the Sōrin finial, stacked one on another.
The sides of the base carry Kōzama cusped panels with pairs of peacocks facing each other, and owls are carved at the corners of the stone, a feature the tourism association singles out as unusual. The Agency's own note likewise picks out the fine decorative carving as the point of the pagoda.
The Agency's explanatory note calls the pagoda "mid-Kamakura", while the date field in the same database says late Kamakura; this article follows the date field and the tourism association.
What to Look For at Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda
Crouch in front of the base and look for the peacocks inside the cusped panels. The paired birds are easy to miss if your eye goes straight up the tower.
Then look up to the corners of the shaft, where the owls are. Side light, early or late in the day, brings out the relief best. At 210 cm the pagoda is roughly a person's height, so the overhang of the cap and the rings of the finial can be taken in at a glance.
Visiting Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda
Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda stands in the open, and no official information on viewing hours, fees or photography was found. Stone surfaces wear easily, so look without touching it or climbing onto the platform.
Directions from the main hall and the layout of the two sites are on the Kagami Shrine page.
Q&A
- Where is Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda?
- Outside the shrine precinct, on the former Saikoji temple site at the foot of the hill across Route 8, about 250 metres southwest of the main hall in a straight line.
- How old is Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Kamakura period (1275–1332), and the Ryuo Town Tourism Association to around 1300. The Agency's explanatory note says mid-Kamakura.
- How big is Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda?
- About 210 cm tall overall, with a shaft 180 cm around below the capstone (Ryuo Town Tourism Association).
- What should I look for on Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda?
- The pairs of peacocks carved in the cusped panels of the base, and the owls at the corners of the stone.
- When was Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On February 9, 1960 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda (鏡神社宝篋印塔) |
|---|---|
| Location | Oaza Kagami, Ryuo Town, Gamo District, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated February 9, 1960 |
| Quantity | 1 pagoda |
| Dimensions | Total height 210 cm, shaft circumference 180 cm (Ryuo Town Tourism Association) |
| Owner | Kagami Shrine |
| Public Access | Outdoor stone pagoda (no official information on hours or fees) |
References
- Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/1492
- Kagami Shrine Hokyoin Pagoda (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/db/heritages/detail/146691
- Famous places of Ryuo (Ryuo Town Tourism Association, Japanese)
- https://ryuoh.org/meisyo/
- Kagami no Sato area (Ryuo Town Tourism Association, Japanese)
- https://ryuoh.org/area/kagaminosato/
Last verified: 2026.10.29
