Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower at a Glance
Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower (明楽寺鐘楼, Myōraku-ji Shōrō) is the belfry of a Shin Buddhist temple in Kinomoto, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, built in 1837 and granted Registered Tangible Cultural Property status on August 7, 2023. It stands southwest of the main hall, facing east, on a platform of dressed stone blocks.
It is a single bay square, under a hip-and-gable Irimoya-zukuri roof of pan tiles, and at 14 square metres it is the smallest of the six registered buildings in the grounds. Yet nothing about the bracketing, eaves, ceiling or carving has been skimped. This is a Shōrō that packs the ceremony of a much larger temple into a very small frame.
Why It Was Registered
Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower was registered as a building that serves as a model of design. Only two of the temple's six buildings qualified under this criterion, the bell tower and the sutra repository, which means the quality of the work itself counted for more than its place in the townscape. The official commentary calls it a small but carefully built belfry, its transoms and beam-ends decorated with carving.
Its four round posts are set with Uchikorobi, a slight inward lean toward the top, and locked together with Nuki tie beams. The bracketing is a two-step projecting set with tail rafters: the brackets reach out from the post line in two stages, and a slanting tail rafter is slotted in above them. The eaves use two layers of closely spaced rafters. Using bracketing of that rank on a one-bay belfry shows how much status the temple wanted this building to carry.
Like the gate, the bell tower is classified by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as an "other structure" rather than a building, presumably because it is not meant to be occupied.
What to Look For
Start with the lean of the posts. Stand directly to one side and follow a post upward with your eye: all four draw slightly inward as they rise, a technique that makes the structure look planted and braced against the ground.
Then look up under the eaves. The tail rafters project at an angle from the two-step brackets, with the double tier of rafters packed above them. The Ranma transoms at the top of the frame and the Kibana beam-ends are carved. Inside, the Bonshō temple bell hangs from a Kōryō rainbow beam, and the ceiling is a Gō-tenjō coffered grid subdivided into still finer squares.
Because the tower faces east, morning light falling on the front brings the carving into sharp relief.
Visiting Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower
Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower is open-sided, so from the grounds you can see it on all four sides and look up into the brackets and ceiling.
The bell is rung for temple ceremonies; visitors should not strike it or climb onto the stone platform. Please also avoid taking photographs close by during services. Directions and general visiting conditions are covered on the Myorakuji Temple page.
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Q&A
- When was Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower built?
- It was built in 1837 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2023.
- Why is Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower a registered cultural property?
- It was registered as a model of design. Although it covers only 14 square metres, its two-step bracketing with tail rafters and its carved transoms and beam-ends show unusually careful workmanship.
- What should I look at on Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower?
- The inward-leaning round posts, the two-step brackets and double tier of rafters under the eaves, and the carved transoms and beam-ends. The finely subdivided coffered ceiling is visible from below.
- Can visitors ring the bell at Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower?
- No. The bell is used for temple ceremonies. The tower itself can be viewed freely from the grounds.
- Where is Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower within the grounds?
- It stands southwest of the main hall, facing east on a platform of dressed stone, on your right (the south side) as you come through the gate. The drum tower is on the same southwest side.
Basic Information
| Name | Myorakuji Temple Bell Tower (明楽寺鐘楼) |
|---|---|
| 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 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof; area 14 square metres |
| Owner | Myorakuji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the grounds |
References
- Myorakuji Bell Tower, Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014625
- Myorakuji Bell Tower, Cultural Heritage Online
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/527257
- 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
