The Oldest Hall of Daisenji, Rebuilt in 1552
The Daisenji Temple Amida Hall (大山寺阿弥陀堂) is an Amida hall of a Tendai temple of 1552 in Daisen, Daisen Town, Saihaku District, Tottori Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on February 18, 1904 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records five bays square, single-storey, with a hipped roof of wooden shingles and a one-bay porch; designation number 00316.
The 1904 date in the Agency record is that of its designation under the former law.
The Oldest Hall on a Sacred Mountain
Daisenji, said to have been founded in the Nara period, is a sacred site of the Daisen mountain faith and one of the leading Tendai temples of the Chugoku region (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its Amida Hall is known from an inscribed plaque to have been built in 1552, and is marked by a grand structure of thick posts and beams.
According to the Japan Tourism Agency, it is the oldest surviving building at Daisenji: after a landslide destroyed the earlier hall in 1529, it was rebuilt on the present site. It once hosted jogyo-zanmai, in which monks walked around the hall for ninety days chanting the name of Amida. Inside sit a 12th-century wooden Amida flanked by Kannon and Seishi, the statues also designated Important Cultural Properties.
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency notes its grand structure of thick posts and beams and the strong Japanese-style character of the bracket sets and eaves. The porch differs in its beams and brackets from the rest and is known to be a later addition.
What to Look For
Look for the grand frame of thick posts and beams and the Japanese-style bracket sets and eaves (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Daisenji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Amida Hall, main hall and bell tower are introduced together on the Daisenji Temple page. The hall lies within Daisen-Oki National Park (Japan Tourism Agency). No official information on visiting hours was found.
Q&A
- When was the Amida Hall built?
- In 1552 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Why was it rebuilt?
- A landslide destroyed the earlier hall in 1529 (Japan Tourism Agency).
- What is inside?
- A 12th-century wooden Amida with two attendant bodhisattvas, themselves Important Cultural Properties.
- What marks the building?
- A grand frame of thick posts and beams, with Japanese-style details.
- When was the Daisenji Temple Amida Hall designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On February 18, 1904 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Daisenji Temple Amida Hall (大山寺阿弥陀堂) |
|---|---|
| Location | Daisen, Daisen Town, Saihaku District, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1904/02/18 (Meiji 37) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 5 × 5 bays, single-storey, hipped, one-bay porch, wooden-shingle roof |
| Owner | Daisenji Temple |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Daisenji Temple Amida Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/2944
- Amida-do Hall, Daisenji (Japan Tourism Agency multilingual explanation database)
- https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/en/H30-01003.html
Last verified: 2026.10.22
