Joshoin Temple Main Hall Inner Sanctum

A Fireproof Prayer Hall That Survived the War

The Joshoin Temple Main Hall Inner Sanctum (常照院本堂内陣) is the inner sanctum of the main hall of a sub-temple of Zojoji of 1769 in Shibakoen, Minato City, Tokyo, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 20, 2001 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a single-storey fireproof storehouse-style building with a tiled roof and a building area of 25 square metres; registration number 13-0115.

A Storehouse-Style Prayer Hall That Escaped the War

Joshoin is one of the sub-temples of Zojoji in Shiba (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The inner sanctum of its main hall was originally a nenbutsu prayer hall; it escaped destruction in the war, and an outer sanctuary and other parts were later added to make it a main hall.

The sanctum is two and a half bays square, built in the thick-walled storehouse manner, with heavy double doors at the front (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Inside, the altar and shrine cabinet set at the back and the black-lacquered coffered ceiling create a rich, dense space.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes the rich interior of this storehouse-style prayer hall, and registered it as difficult to reproduce.

What to Look For

Look for the heavy double doors at the front and the black-lacquered coffered ceiling (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

It is owned by Joshoin Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official visiting information was found.