Saikyoji Temple Main Hall

The Main Hall of the Tendai Shinsei Head Temple, Rebuilt in 1739

The Saikyoji Temple Main Hall (西教寺本堂, Saikyōji Hondō) is the main Buddhist hall of Saikyoji, head temple of the Tendai Shinsei school in Sakamoto-honmachi, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture; it was built in 1739 and designated an Important Cultural Property on May 24, 1986.

After the burning of Mount Hiei in 1571, a temporary main hall went up in 1574, and the present hall replaced it. The national record describes a hall seven bays wide and six deep, single-story, with a hip-and-gable roof, a three-bay front porch and a roof of clay tiles in the hongawara style. Behind it is a one-by-one-bay rear hall for memorial tablets, with pent roofs on the back and sides.

The designation covers the main hall and rear hall as one building, together with two old roofing shingles, a plaque and an old ridge-end tile. It stands at the center of the upper terrace and is the heart of the temple grounds.

Why the Main Hall Was Designated

The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Saikyoji Temple Main Hall as technically and qualitatively accomplished, with a plan and structure showing features of a new era, and as a fine example of a large 18th-century Buddhist hall in Shiga Prefecture.

Its defining arrangement is the attached rear hall behind a front seven bays wide. Building the space for memorial tablets into the back of the main hall reflects how large halls of the early modern period were planned.

What to Look For

Look up at the frog-leg struts under the eaves. According to the temple's heritage guide, they are carved with monkeys, birds, rabbits and horses. The sides combine hinged shutters, paneled doors and plank walls with cusped windows, so each face looks different.

Inside, the guide describes the four pillars around the altar painted in rich colors and ornate carving on the transoms and struts. In the outer sanctuary stands a statue of the Tejiro-zaru, a white-pawed monkey said to have saved Shinsei Shōnin during a peasant uprising, which along with the carved monkeys outside shows the temple's long link with monkeys.

Visiting the Main Hall

The Saikyoji Temple Main Hall is the centerpiece of a visit to Saikyoji and can be visited for worship during opening hours. Follow the signs on site about how far into the hall you may go and about photography, and keep quiet during services. Opening hours, admission and directions for the temple are on the Saikyoji Temple page.