Kirihataji Daitō: A Two-Storied Pagoda Rescued from Oblivion
Halfway up the slopes of Mt. Kirihata in Tokushima Prefecture stands one of the most unusual wooden pagodas in all of Japan. The Kirihataji Daitō (切幡寺大塔), the Great Pagoda of Kirihata Temple, soars more than twenty-four meters above the tenth temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage. Its silhouette is striking to anyone who glances up from the Yoshino River plain below, but what makes this structure truly singular only becomes clear on closer inspection. No other surviving pagoda in Japan shares its floor plan — a broad five-bay square lower story carrying a smaller three-bay square upper story — and the story of how it came to stand here at all is as remarkable as the building itself.
A Pagoda Built for a Warlord's Prayer
The story of the pagoda begins not in Shikoku but in Osaka. In the early Edo period, it was built as the west pagoda of Shinra-ji, the Buddhist temple attached to the great Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine. The commission came from Toyotomi Hideyori, son of the powerful warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who wished to pray for the repose of his late father's soul. Construction is recorded as having begun in 1607 (Keichō 12), and the cultural heritage registry places its completion as a finished two-storied pagoda in 1618 (Genna 4), during the early years of Tokugawa rule.
For roughly two and a half centuries, the pagoda stood quietly in Osaka as part of the combined shrine-temple complex typical of pre-modern Japanese religious architecture. Then, in the early Meiji era, the new government issued the shinbutsu bunri edicts, separating Shinto shrines from their Buddhist institutions. In the wave of anti-Buddhist sentiment (haibutsu kishaku) that followed, Shinra-ji was dissolved, and the pagoda faced the very real prospect of demolition and dispersal.
A Decade-Long Journey Across the Sea
What saved the building was a remarkable act of determination by the clergy of Kirihataji. The temple's forty-fifth head priest, Ten'yū, purchased the surviving west pagoda from the defunct Shinra-ji and had it dismantled piece by piece. Beginning in 1873 (Meiji 6), components were ferried across the Inland Sea and transported up into the foothills of the Awa region, where the pagoda was painstakingly reassembled on the hillside behind the main hall. The reconstruction took roughly ten years and was completed around 1883 (Meiji 15).
The effort proved providential. In 1909 (Meiji 42), a catastrophic fire swept through Kirihataji and destroyed twenty-three buildings of the temple complex in a single night. The Daitō alone escaped the flames, and it therefore preserves the early Edo carpentry of its Genna-era reconstruction almost exactly as it looked when it was dedicated to Hideyoshi's memory.
Why the Pagoda Was Designated an Important Cultural Property
Kirihataji Daitō was designated a National Important Cultural Property of Japan on June 23, 1975. The designation recognizes a set of qualities that together make the building without parallel in the country.
The decisive point is structural. Japanese two-storied pagodas (tahōtō and related forms) almost always combine a square lower story with a cylindrical upper drum topped by a square roof. By contrast, Kirihataji Daitō has a five-bay-square lower story supporting a three-bay-square upper story, both clearly rectangular in plan. This layout, known as a gokan nijū tōba (五間二重塔婆), survives nowhere else in Japan. Scholars believe the form may have been used historically by temples of the Tendai sect, making the pagoda an invaluable document for understanding the lost diversity of pagoda architecture in Japan.
Add to this its direct connection with the Toyotomi family, its survival of both the Meiji-era dissolution of Shinra-ji and the 1909 fire at Kirihataji, and its excellent state of preservation, and the reasoning behind the designation becomes clear. The structure is at once a work of early Edo carpentry, a memorial to one of Japan's most famous warlords, and a rare surviving example of a vanished architectural type.
Highlights for Visitors
The Climb to the Pagoda
Reaching the Daitō is itself part of the experience. Pilgrims and visitors pass through the main gate at the foot of the mountain and begin the climb of the famous 333 stone steps, divided into two named sections: the onna-yakuyoke-zaka ("women's misfortune-warding slope") and the otoko-yakuyoke-zaka ("men's misfortune-warding slope"). The main hall, which enshrines a thousand-armed Kannon as the temple's principal image, stands at the top of these steps. The Daitō rises on a terrace a little higher still, tucked against the slope behind the main hall.
The Form of the Building Itself
Standing roughly twenty-four meters tall and roofed with formal ceramic tiles (hongawara-buki), the pagoda is broad-shouldered and solid rather than slender. Visitors who have seen other two-storied pagodas elsewhere in Japan quickly notice how different this one feels: the square-on-square composition gives it a muscular, almost architectural gravity. Explanatory signage at the site notes that it is the only surviving example of its type in the country.
The Legend of the Weaving Maiden
Although distinct from the pagoda, the founding legend of the temple adds an essential layer of meaning to any visit. According to tradition, in the year 815 the monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) came to this mountainside while on ascetic training. Needing cloth to mend his torn robe, he asked a young woman weaving at the foot of the mountain for help. Without hesitation, she cut a length from the cloth she had been weaving and offered it to him — the act that gives the temple its name, kiri-hata ("cut cloth"). Kūkai, moved by her generosity, asked if there was anything she wished. She replied that she wanted to enter the Buddhist path for the sake of her deceased parents. Kūkai is said to have carved a thousand-armed Kannon image in a single night and conferred ordination upon her, whereupon she is said to have attained immediate Buddhahood.
View from the Terrace
At 155 meters above sea level, the temple terrace offers a sweeping view out over the plains of northern Tokushima and the Yoshino River. The climb is rewarded not only by the Daitō itself but by one of the more memorable panoramas on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, particularly in spring, when the plum and cherry trees around the temple come into bloom.
Visiting Kirihataji
The temple grounds are open from 7:00 to 17:00, and there is no admission fee. A free parking area near the main gate accommodates about twenty ordinary vehicles. Visitors who have difficulty with stairs may drive a narrow upper road to a second small parking area next to the nōkyō-jo (pilgrim certificate office), which skips most of the 333 steps; the road is steep and accessible only to standard passenger cars, not larger vehicles. The Daitō itself sits a little higher than the main hall, reached by a short final climb.
Kirihataji is the tenth temple on the Shikoku eighty-eight-temple pilgrimage circuit, and many visitors combine it with the neighboring ninth temple (Hōrinji) and eighth temple (Kumadaniji) to the east. Sturdy walking shoes are recommended, as is bringing water, especially in summer.
Getting There and What Else to See Nearby
The temple is most practically reached by car. It lies about eight kilometers from the Dōsei IC exit on the Tokushima Expressway, along prefectural routes leading into the foothills of the Awa mountains. Travellers using public transport typically take the JR Tokushima Line to Awa-Kawashima Station (about 6.3 km away) or Manabi Station (about 6.5 km away) and continue by taxi, as local bus service is limited.
Within easy reach you will find the other Tokushima pilgrimage temples — Jūrakuji (No. 7), Kumadaniji (No. 8), and Hōrinji (No. 9) — each with its own distinctive architecture. A little further south, the Yoshino River corridor offers traditional udon shops (the local specialty is tarai udon served in a wooden tub), and the Dochū earth-pillar formations at Awa Dochū provide a dramatic natural counterpoint to the quiet religious landscape of Kirihataji.
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Q&A
- What makes Kirihataji Daitō architecturally unique?
- It is the only surviving two-storied pagoda in Japan whose lower and upper stories are both square in plan, with a five-bay square first story supporting a three-bay square second story. This type is thought to have been used in the Tendai tradition, but no other example survives.
- Why was the pagoda moved from Osaka to Tokushima?
- The pagoda was built in the early Edo period as the west pagoda of Shinra-ji, the temple attached to Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka. When Shinra-ji was abolished during the Meiji-era separation of Shinto and Buddhism, Kirihataji's head priest purchased the pagoda to rescue it. It was dismantled, transported across the Inland Sea, and reassembled over the course of roughly ten years, from 1873 to about 1883.
- Is there an entrance fee?
- No. Access to the temple grounds, including the Daitō, is free. The grounds are open from 7:00 to 17:00.
- Do I have to climb all 333 steps to see the pagoda?
- Not necessarily. A narrow upper road leads to a small parking area near the main hall, allowing visitors to skip most of the steps. This route is open to standard passenger cars only. Otherwise, the classic approach is up the 333 stone steps from the main gate.
- How does the pagoda relate to the Toyotomi family?
- Toyotomi Hideyori, son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, commissioned the original pagoda at Sumiyoshi's Shinra-ji to pray for the repose of his father's soul. It is in effect a memorial to one of the most famous warlords in Japanese history, later saved and relocated to Shikoku.
Basic Information
| Name | Kirihataji Daitō (切幡寺大塔 / Great Pagoda of Kirihata Temple) |
|---|---|
| Location | 129 Kannon, Kirihata, Ichiba-chō, Awa City, Tokushima Prefecture 771-1623 |
| Temple | Tokudozan Kanjōin Kirihataji, 10th temple of the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage (Kōyasan Shingon sect) |
| Principal Image of Temple | Thousand-Armed Kannon Bodhisattva (Senju Kanzeon Bosatsu) |
| Period of Construction | Early Edo period; originally built 1607, completed in its surviving form 1618 (Genna 4) |
| Relocation to Kirihataji | 1873 (Meiji 6) to c. 1883 (Meiji 15 / 16) |
| Structure | Two-storied pagoda; five-bay square lower story with three-bay square upper story (gokan nijū tōba); formal ceramic-tile roof (hongawara-buki) |
| Height | Approximately 24.17 meters |
| Designation | National Important Cultural Property; designated June 23, 1975 |
| Hours | 7:00 – 17:00 |
| Admission | Free |
| Parking | Free; about 20 ordinary vehicles at the main gate, plus a small upper lot for about 10 cars near the main hall (narrow road; passenger cars only) |
| Telephone | 0883-36-3010 |
| Nearest Stations | JR Awa-Kawashima Station (about 6.3 km) or JR Manabi Station (about 6.5 km), on the JR Tokushima Line |
References
- 切幡寺大塔 - 文化遺産オンライン (Cultural Heritage Online, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/157805
- 国指定文化財等データベース - 切幡寺大塔 (National Cultural Properties Database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/3268
- 得度山 灌頂院 切幡寺 – 四国八十八ヶ所霊場会 (Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage Official Site)
- https://88shikokuhenro.jp/10kirihataji/
- 第10番札所 切幡寺 - 阿波ナビ (Tokushima Prefectural Tourism Portal)
- https://www.awanavi.jp/archives/spot/2799
- 第10番札所 切幡寺 – 阿波市観光協会 (Awa City Tourism Association)
- https://www.awa-kankou.jp/odekake/10banhudasyo/
- 切幡寺 - Wikipedia (Japanese)
- https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/切幡寺
- 切幡寺の大塔 - 徳島新聞 とくしま雑学事典 (Tokushima Shimbun)
- https://www.topics.or.jp/articles/-/593693
Last verified: 2026.04.22