Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository at a Glance
Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository (明楽寺経蔵, Myōraku-ji Kyōzō) is a fireproof storehouse for Buddhist scriptures in the grounds of a Shin Buddhist temple in Kinomoto, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, built in 1899 and granted Registered Tangible Cultural Property status on August 7, 2023. It stands south of the main hall and is the only Meiji-period building among the temple's six registered structures.
A Kyōzō holds the temple's sutras, and because fire was the great danger, many were built in Dozo-zukuri, the thick earthen-walled construction of Japanese storehouses. This one is single-storey, under a pyramidal Hōgyō-zukuri roof of pan tiles in which all four slopes meet at a single point. Its footprint is 51 square metres.
Why It Was Registered
Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository was registered as a building that serves as a model of design, one of only two in the precinct (with the bell tower) to qualify on those grounds. The official commentary highlights how a working storehouse has been adorned inside and out as a sacred space.
Outside, it rises from a platform of dressed stone, its walls finished in white Shikkui lime plaster. A Roban base and a jewel finial crown the peak of the roof, a gabled porch roofed in copper projects from the north side, and Katōmado windows with flame-shaped heads pierce the east and west walls.
Inside is a single room spanned by Hiuchibari diagonal braces shaped like rainbow beams. The northern half of the floor is beaten earth, the southern half boarded, and the ceiling is covered in pasted paper painted with hiten, celestial beings drifting through the sky. The interior of a scripture store has been turned into a heaven.
What to Look For
From outside, the silhouette you remember is the finial. The square roof narrows to a point, the jewel sits on top, and a plain white storehouse suddenly takes on the air of a small hall.
The front faces north, where the copper porch juts out. The pairing of a tiled main roof with a small copper roof that weathers to green has a lightness typical of Meiji building. The flame-headed windows on the east and west walls repeat the shape of the upper windows on the Edo-period drum tower, so the two buildings answer each other across the grounds.
The painted ceiling is not on view, but a photograph of the interior appears in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database, and it is worth looking up before or after your visit.
Visiting Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository
The interior of Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository is not open to the public. The exterior can be seen from the temple grounds; walk around to take in the north porch, the windows on the east and west, and the finial on the roof.
Please do not climb onto the stone platform or touch the doors. Directions and general visiting conditions are covered on the Myorakuji Temple page.
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Q&A
- When was Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository built?
- It was built in 1899, making it the only Meiji-period building among the temple's six registered structures, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2023.
- What kind of building is Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository?
- An earthen-walled storehouse for sutras with a pyramidal tile roof, a roban and jewel finial, and a copper-roofed porch on the north. Its footprint is 51 square metres.
- Can I see the ceiling painting inside Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository?
- The interior is not open to the public, but a photograph of the ceiling with its painted celestial beings is published in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
- Why was Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository registered?
- It was registered as a model of design: a practical storehouse given a finial, flame-headed windows and a painted ceiling that turn it into a sacred space.
- Where is Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository within the grounds?
- It stands south of the main hall, with its copper-roofed porch on the north front. From the gate it lies to the right and toward the back.
Basic Information
| Name | Myorakuji Temple Sutra Repository (明楽寺経蔵) |
|---|---|
| Location | 936 Furumachi, Kinomoto, Kinomoto-cho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2023/8/7 (Reiwa 5) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen-walled storehouse construction, single-storey, tiled roof; building area 51 square metres |
| Owner | Myorakuji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the grounds (interior not open) |
References
- Myorakuji Sutra Repository, Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014624
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs report on new Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings), March 17, 2023
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/93849401.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27
