What the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower Is
The Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower (安楽寺鐘楼, Anrakuji Shōrō) is a Meiji-period belfry at Anrakuji in Mima-cho, Mima City, Tokushima Prefecture, built in 1911 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2009. It occupies the southeast corner of the precincts relative to the main hall and covers 21 square meters.
The structure sits on a tall podium of dressed stone and is a single bay square, open on all four sides. With no walls, four posts and a roof are all that shelter the bronze bell. The roof is Irimoya-zukuri in Hongawarabuki, and a shachi, the mythical fish-tailed creature placed on ridges as a charm against fire, crowns the ridge.
Because the podium lifts the floor well above ground level, you look up at a steep angle. The Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower is not the tallest building in the compound, but the raised platform makes it read clearly on your right as you walk the approach.
Why the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower Was Registered
The Agency for Cultural Affairs database registers the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower under number 36-0076, citing the criterion of contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The main hall and the gate in the same compound were listed under a different criterion, that of setting a standard of design. The belfry earned its place on the strength of what it does for the scene around it.
The joinery repays attention. The posts are square in section but not straight: each is curved, and all four lean outward in the arrangement called shihō-korobi. Bracketing is Mitsudo-gumi, with a Kaerumata strut between. The Taruki are fan rafters in double tiers. That is a considerable amount of craft for a small open shelter.
On the west side, where the striking beam hangs, the eave carries a Noki-karahafu. Only the side the bell-ringer stands on receives that treatment, and it is the one detail that tells you which face of the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower counts as the front.
What to Look For at the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower
Since the building is open on every side, you can see straight into it. Where a plain exposed underside of the roof would have done, the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower has a Gō-tenjō, a coffered ceiling. Stand at the foot of the podium and look up, and the grid of the ceiling is right there in view. Someone decided that a shelter with nothing to hide still deserved a finished ceiling.
Check the lean of the posts from ground level too. A four-way batter is hard to read straight on and becomes obvious the moment you move round to a diagonal. Curve and lean combine, so the silhouette of each post draws a slightly different line from every position.
The shachi on the ridge is worth a thought. A motif of castles and temples since the early modern period, it was still being chosen in 1911. Together with the curved gable over the west eave, two older decorative ideas are at work on one very small roof.
Visiting the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower
The Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower stands within the precincts and can be walked around and viewed from outside. No published notice sets opening hours or an admission fee. Nor is there published information on whether visitors may climb onto the podium or strike the bell, so ask the temple in advance on 0883-63-2015 if you would like to.
No posted notice prohibiting photography within the precincts could be confirmed. Because the building is open-sided, it is worth trying two positions: close in at the foot of the podium looking up, and further back where the main hall enters the frame behind it.
Access is about ten minutes by taxi from Sadamitsu Station on the JR Tokushima Line, or about five minutes by car from the Mima interchange on the Tokushima Expressway. The Mima City tourism site lists parking for the temple quarter at Teramachi Nanmatsu-no-oka, with space for 30 cars. Volunteer guides work by prior arrangement on 090-4336-8882.
Q&A
- Can you visit the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower, and is there an admission fee?
- It stands in the precincts and the exterior can be viewed freely. No published source sets opening hours or an admission charge, and there is no published information on climbing the podium or ringing the bell. Ask the temple on 0883-63-2015.
- When was the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower built?
- In 1911. It is a timber structure with a tiled roof covering 21 square meters, and it was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 7, 2009.
- Where is the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower located?
- In the precincts of Anrakuji at 11 Miyanishi, Mima-cho, Mima City, Tokushima Prefecture. The Agency for Cultural Affairs places it southeast of the main hall. Its tall dressed-stone podium makes it easy to pick out from the approach.
- What are the architectural highlights of the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower?
- Curved square posts set with a four-way outward lean, three-block bracketing with a frog-leg strut between, double-tiered fan rafters, and a coffered ceiling inside. A curved gable marks the west eave and a shachi sits on the ridge.
- How do you reach the Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower, and is there parking?
- About ten minutes by taxi from Sadamitsu Station on the JR Tokushima Line, or about five minutes by car from the Mima interchange on the Tokushima Expressway. Parking for 30 cars is listed at Teramachi Nanmatsu-no-oka.
Basic Information
| Name | Anrakuji Temple Bell Tower |
|---|---|
| Location | 11 Miyanishi, Mima-cho, Mima City, Tokushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structures) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2009 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Area 21 square meters |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Anrakuji Temple |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the precincts; podium by enquiry |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Anrakuji Shoro
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007804
- Cultural Heritage Online: Anrakuji Shoro
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/154405
- Mima City Tourism Site: Anrakuji, Registered Tangible Cultural Property
- https://www.city.mima.lg.jp/kanko/map/list/4055.html
- Mima City Tourism Site: Teramachi Temple Quarter
- https://www.city.mima.lg.jp/kanko/map/list/11519.html
Last verified: 2026.09.09