The Bell Tower That Marked a Temple's Return
In front of the main hall at Kawaraya-ji, just north of the small Binzuru hall, stands the Shōrō (鐘楼), the bell tower. It is a single-bay structure of about 9.2 square metres under a gabled pantile roof, and it dates to the Shōhō era (1644–1647). That date is worth pausing on: hanging a bell was one of the first acts of the temple's seventeenth-century revival, so this tower stands close to the very moment Kawaraya-ji came back to life.
Kawaraya-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple of the Myōshin-ji branch, set on the slopes of Mitsukuri-yama in Higashiōmi, Shiga. By tradition its name comes from Prince Shōtoku, who is said to have fired more than one hundred thousand roof tiles here for Shitennō-ji in Ōsaka. The medieval temple burned in 1568 during Oda Nobunaga's campaign in the area. From 1645 the Zen monk Kōzan Sokei rebuilt it, raising a main hall and a bell tower and hanging a temple bell to announce the revival, and it is that first phase of work to which this tower belongs.
Strength in Simple Lines
The Shōrō was registered as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 March 2018, registration number 25-415, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape. In the register it is classed not as a building but as a structure of another kind (sonota kōsakubutsu), the category used for towers and similar works.
Its construction favours sturdiness over ornament. From stone bases (soban, 礎盤) rise square posts finished with sixteen chamfered faces (jūroku-mendori kakubashira), set with a pronounced outward lean on all four sides (shihō-korobi, 四方転び) that braces the frame against sway. Waist-ties, penetrating ties, and head-ties (koshinuki, hikinuki, kashiranuki) lock the posts together. There is no bracket complex at all; the only carved flourish is a light pattern on the sane-hijiki that supports the exposed ridge beam. The timber members are thick and the whole reads as broad and firmly planted, a plain form that sits well within the historic look of the grounds.
What to Look For on a Visit
The bell tower is a lesson in how much character plain carpentry can carry. Look at the outward lean of the four posts: that splay is not a flaw but a deliberate bracing technique, and it gives the small tower a stance that feels planted into the slope. Notice too the sixteen-faceted posts, a refinement hidden inside an otherwise unshowy frame, and the near-total absence of brackets, which tells you this was a builder trusting solid timber rather than decoration.
Standing between the main hall and the Binzuru hall, the Shōrō is passed by every visitor making the circuit of the grounds. It looks its best against the mid-November maples for which Kawaraya-ji is quietly known, when the red canopy and the weathered posts sit together. Seated meditation and sutra copying are offered by reservation.
Q&A
- Why does this tower matter to the temple's history?
- Hanging a bell was among the first acts of the temple's revival from 1645, so the bell tower is tied to the very start of Kawaraya-ji's Zen rebirth.
- What does "four-way lean" mean?
- Shihō-korobi is a technique of setting the posts leaning slightly outward on all four sides. It braces the frame and steadies the tower against movement.
- Why is it listed as a "structure" rather than a "building"?
- In the register the bell tower falls under the category for structures of another kind, used for towers and similar works rather than roofed rooms.
- How old is the bell tower?
- It dates to the Shōhō era (1644–1647), placing it among the earliest of the temple's registered buildings.
- Can visitors ring the bell?
- Whether the bell may be rung depends on the occasion and temple rules. Please ask at the temple office rather than assume.
Basic Information
| Name | Shōrō (Bell Tower), Kawaraya-ji |
|---|---|
| Location | 436 Tatebe-Kawarayaji-chō, Higashiōmi, Shiga |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (registered 27 March 2018; reg. no. 25-415) |
| Date | Shōhō era (1644–1647) |
| Structure | One structure; timber, tiled roof; one bay, gabled roof; area approx. 9.2 m² |
| Owner | Kawaraya-ji (religious corporation) |
| Access | About 15 min by car from Yōkaichi Station (Ōmi Railway) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — National Cultural Properties Database, Kawaraya-ji Shōrō
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012177
- Higashiōmi City Tourism — Kawaraya Zenji
- https://www.higashiomi.net/media/miru/kawarayazenji
- Wikipedia — Kawaraya-ji
- https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/瓦屋寺
Last verified: 2026.07.05