Zensuiji Temple Main Hall

A Fine Esoteric Hall of Shiga

The Zensuiji Temple Main Hall (善水寺本堂) is the early Muromachi main hall of Zensuiji at Iwane, Konan City, Shiga Prefecture, which in 1954 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey hip-and-gable hall seven bays by five with a cypress-bark roof, designated with a contemporary shrine cabinet.

The Agency notes that the temple is said to have been founded in the Wado era (708 to 715) and that the present hall was built in 1366 after a fire in 1360, which its style confirms.

Structure

According to the Agency, it is a fairly large hall with many top-hinged shutters outside and projecting bracket sets with curved supports.

Inside, as in esoteric halls, inner and outer sanctuaries are divided by a lattice screen. To omit the central row of posts in the outer sanctuary, beams are unusually laid side to side rather than front to back; the spare space inside the side brackets is filled with ornate Muromachi beam-end carvings. The inner sanctuary has a coffered ceiling and a contemporary shrine cabinet.

What to Look For

The Agency values it highly as a fine example among the esoteric halls of Shiga.

Notice the unusual side-to-side beams in the outer sanctuary and the ornate carvings they allow.

Visiting the Zensuiji Temple Main Hall

No official visitor information could be found. Zensuiji is one of the Three Temples of Konan, with Chojuji and Jorakuji.

Enquiries go to Zensuiji.