A Bell Given by Ten'eiin
Yutenji Temple Bell Tower (祐天寺鐘楼, Yūtenji Shōrō) is a bell tower of 1729 standing northwest of the main hall of Yutenji in Nakameguro, Meguro City, Tokyo, the oldest of the temple's registered buildings, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 10 May 2018. It is a single-storey timber structure roofed in copper sheet, with a building area of 17 square metres.
Both bell and tower were the gift of Ten'eiin, principal wife of the sixth shogun Ienobu. The temple chronology says she resolved in 1728 to have a bell cast for the seventeenth anniversary of her husband's death, specifying the same size as the bell of Kan'eiji in Ueno, 3 shaku 3 sun, about 1 metre. Permission to build the tower came in the second month of 1729, for a structure 2 bays by 2, about 3.64 metres a side.
The bell was cast on the 20th day of the third month of 1729 at a foundry set up beside the cemetery, by the founders Takezaki Iwami Hokkyo Joken and Yokozuka Harima Daijo Fujiwara Shigemasa, and hauled from its mould by oxen the next day. It weighed 450 kan, about 1,687.5 kilograms. During three days of dedication ceremonies from the 14th of the fourth month, the ladies of Ten'eiin's household came in turn as her proxies.
The roof was re-covered in copper in 1785, and the tower was repaired in 1932 along with the Nio Gate and the Amida Hall. The Agency for Cultural Affairs likewise dates the Yutenji Temple Bell Tower to 1729 with a renovation in 1932.
Registered as a Model of Design
The Yutenji Temple Bell Tower was registered five years after the other six buildings, which were listed together in 2013, and under a different criterion. They were registered for contributing to the historic landscape; the bell tower was registered as serving as a model of design, recognition of its form in its own right.
The Agency describes it as open on all sides and one bay square, with the length along the ridge made a little wider, and eaves of closely spaced rafters in a single layer. The gabled Kirizuma-zukuri roof runs east to west and is sheathed in copper shaped to imitate round tiles. Three-bearing bracket sets sit on the posts, with flat bracket sets and carved kibana beam ends between them; in the gables, a curved Kōryō tie beam carries a Taiheizuka strut flanked by scrolled Oigata boards. The detailing shows the design of the mid-Edo period.
Its value lies in a bell tower of the Kyoho era surviving in Tokyo with its bracketing and gable ornament intact. The permission recorded in the chronology and the date the Agency reads from the carved details agree, which makes the building's history easy to follow.
A Bell That Survived the War
The bell has its own history. In 1942 the temple applied for exemption from the wartime metal requisition, and on 12 April 1943 the Tokyo prefectural government granted it. As the war worsened the bell was nonetheless taken down from the tower to be surrendered, but the war ended before it was collected.
The registration covers the tower, not the bell. Still, the fact that Ten'eiin's bell and the building made to hang it survive together is essential background to the Yutenji Temple Bell Tower.
Where to Stand
Because the roof is gabled east and west, the ornamented gables face those two directions. Stand back a little to take in the strut above the tie beam and the scrolled boards curling on either side.
Under the eaves, compare the bracket sets at the corners with those between the posts, and the carving of the beam ends. With its sides open, you can also glimpse the bell between the posts.
Visiting the Bell Tower
The bell tower stands in the open and can be viewed freely whenever the grounds are open. The bell is used for temple observances and there is no provision for visitors to strike it. If a fence or barrier is in place, view it from outside.
Directions and visiting hours for the temple are on the Yutenji Temple page.
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Q&A
- When was the Yutenji Temple Bell Tower built?
- In 1729. Ten'eiin, principal wife of the sixth shogun Ienobu, gave it together with the bell for the seventeenth anniversary of her husband's death. It was repaired in 1932.
- When was the Yutenji Temple Bell Tower registered as a cultural property?
- On 10 May 2018, under the criterion of serving as a model of design, five years after the temple's other six registered buildings.
- Is the bell of the Yutenji Temple Bell Tower a cultural property too?
- The registration covers the tower building, not the bell. The bell was cast in 1729 and escaped the wartime metal requisition.
- Can visitors ring the bell at the Yutenji Temple Bell Tower?
- The bell is used for temple observances and there is no provision for visitors to strike it. The exterior can be viewed freely from the grounds.
- Where is the Yutenji Temple Bell Tower?
- Northwest of the main hall, under a gabled roof running east to west. The ornamented gables are on the east and west ends.
Basic Information
| Name | Yutenji Temple Bell Tower |
|---|---|
| Location | 5-1067-1 Nakameguro, Meguro City, Tokyo (temple postal address: 5-24-53 Nakameguro) |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/05/10 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber structure, copper-sheet roof, building area 17 square metres |
| Owner | Yutenji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Outdoors; exterior viewable freely from the grounds |
References
- 祐天寺鐘楼, Agency for Cultural Affairs Database of National Cultural Properties
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012304
- 祐天寺鐘楼, Cultural Heritage Online
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/566408
- Yutenji Temple history chronology, 1728 (Yutenji Temple official site)
- https://www.yutenji.or.jp/history/nenpyo/page-33099/page-33379/
- Yutenji Temple history chronology, 1729 (Yutenji Temple official site)
- https://www.yutenji.or.jp/history/nenpyo/page-33099/page-33381/
- Yutenji Temple history chronology, 1932 (Yutenji Temple official site)
- https://www.yutenji.or.jp/history/nenpyo/page-33150/page-36023/
- Yutenji Temple history chronology, 1943 (Yutenji Temple official site)
- https://www.yutenji.or.jp/history/nenpyo/page-33150/page-36137/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
