Jizoji Temple Hojuin Front Gate and Wall

The Gate and Board Wall Along the South Edge

Jizoji Temple Hojuin Front Gate and Wall (地蔵寺寳珠院表門及び塀, Jizōji Hōjuin Omotemon oyobi Hei) is a wooden gate and wall built in the Taisho era (1912 to 1926) in Matsushima-cho, Komatsushima City, Tokushima Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 29 November 2016. It forms the front, south boundary of the Hojuin residence owned by Jizoji Temple.

The gate is 2.3 metres wide, with a gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) roof in round-and-flat Hongawarabuki tiles. The wall is timber, faced with vertical boards and capped with a coping sheathed in copper. It runs 34 metres in total, enclosing almost the entire south side of the lot.

Beside the gate, the wall curves in toward the opening, foundation stones and all. The straight run of the wall bends gently inward just before the entrance, as if drawing visitors in.

Craftsmanship in the Details

The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes fine workmanship throughout the Jizoji Temple Hojuin Front Gate and Wall and registered it as a "model of form and design."

The transom (Ranma) above the gate is pierced with cloud shapes, which stand out against the sky. The doors are a pair of latticed sliding doors, and both slide away into a pocket on the east side, so that when the gate is open nothing narrows the opening. For the gate of a private house, that is a refined solution.

Wrapping the wall's coping in copper is also practical: it keeps rain off the end grain of the boards. Over the years copper weathers to green, setting up a contrast with the timber below.

The gate and wall date from the Taisho era, after the main house of 1904. As outbuildings were being added inside the compound, the face it showed the street was renewed as well.

What to Look For

Because it faces the road, this is the easiest of the eight Hojuin properties to see. Check three things in turn: the cloud-shaped openwork in the transom, the lattice doors and their pocket, and the curve of the foundation stones beside the gate.

Over the wall rises the great roof of the main house, and beyond the gate the middle gate and wall screen the inner garden. The front gate is the place to read the layout of the residence from outside.

Seeing the Front Gate and Wall

The Jizoji Temple Hojuin Front Gate and Wall can be viewed from the public road. Inside the gate is a private, temple-owned residence with no scheduled openings; contact Jizoji Temple in advance if you wish to enter.

Photograph from the road, keeping clear of passing traffic.