What Is the Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository?
The Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository (金剛峯寺六角経蔵, Kongōbu-ji Rokkaku Kyōzō) is a two-tier sutra hall rebuilt in 1932 on the Danjo Garan, the central sacred precinct of Mount Koya in Koya Town, Wakayama Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 6, 2025.
According to Kongobuji, the repository was first founded by Bifukumon-in, consort of the retired Emperor Toba, to hold a complete Buddhist canon written in gold on indigo paper in his memory. Because she endowed it with the Arakawa estate in Kii Province, the sutras became known as the Arakawa Sutras and the building as the Arakawa Kyozo. The sutras themselves, an Important Cultural Property, are now kept in the Koyasan Reihokan museum.
The present building was designed and built by the Takenaka Corporation. The Agency for Cultural Affairs and Kongobuji's registration announcement both date it to 1932, while the temple's guide to the Danjo Garan gives February 1934. This article follows the Agency's record.
Why the Kongobuji Rokkaku Kyozo Was Registered
It was registered as a model of architectural form. Southwest of the Kondo, it stands on a podium facing east: a hexagonal, two-tier hall under a copper-clad Hōgyō-zukuri pyramidal roof, with a building area of 21 m².
The core is reinforced concrete, but walls and eaves are timber. On the first tier, a load-bearing concrete wall is faced with timber in the style of an azekura log storehouse. On the second, a concrete frame carries timber bracket sets and eaves. The Agency praises how traditional design was achieved in wood over a modern structural shell.
This was the era when the Kondo and the Konpon Daito on the Danjo Garan were being rebuilt in reinforced concrete, and the Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository belongs to the same effort to pair fire resistance with a timber appearance.
Highlights of the Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository
Start with the first-tier walls. The azekura-style facing recalls log storehouses of the Nara period, such as the Shosoin, yet here it is a timber skin on concrete.
Near the podium are handles, and the lower part of the repository turns. Kongobuji says that pushing it through one full turn earns the same merit as reciting the entire canon. The Agency's description speaks of pushing the railing so that the base revolves.
On the upper tier, small timber bracket sets crowd the eaves, and the pyramidal roof tapers to a point over the hexagon, a silhouette easy to pick out among the larger halls of the Garan.
Visiting the Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository
The Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository stands outdoors on the Danjo Garan, and its exterior can be seen at any time. According to Kongobuji, visitors may push the handles to turn it. There is no public viewing of the interior.
The photography ban on the Danjo Garan covers the interiors of its halls, not the exterior of the Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository.
From Kongobuji, walk the Jabara-michi path into the east end of the precinct and continue to the southwest side of the Kondo.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Wakayama
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Q&A
- Can I turn the Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository?
- Yes. Kongobuji says visitors can push the handles near the base; one full turn is said to equal reciting the entire Buddhist canon.
- Why is the Kongobuji Rokkaku Kyozo also called the Arakawa Kyozo?
- Its founder, Bifukumon-in, endowed it with the Arakawa estate in Kii Province, so the sutras and the building took the Arakawa name.
- When was the Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository rebuilt?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs records 1932, with design and construction by the Takenaka Corporation. Kongobuji's Garan guide gives February 1934.
- When was the Kongobuji Rokkaku Kyozo registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 6, 2025.
- Is the Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository made of wood?
- Its structure is reinforced concrete, with timber walls and eaves applied over it: azekura-style facing below and timber brackets and eaves above.
Basic Information
| Name | Kongobuji Temple Hexagonal Sutra Repository |
|---|---|
| Location | 152-1 Koyasan, Koya Town, Ito District, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 6, 2025 (Reiwa 7) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 21 m² (reinforced concrete, 2 tiers, copper roof) |
| Owner | Kongobuji Temple (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior open at all times (visitors may turn the repository) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Kongobuji Rokkaku Kyozo
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00015494
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kongobuji Rokkaku Kyozo
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/623519
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Council recommendation on registered buildings (March 21, 2025)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/koho_hodo_oshirase/hodohappyo/pdf/94187801_01.pdf
- Kongobuji: Three Danjo Garan buildings to be registered (2025)
- https://www.koyasan.or.jp/sp/news/2025/03/21/6824/
- Kongobuji: Places to see on Koyasan
- https://www.koyasan.or.jp/meguru/
- Kongobuji: Admission fees
- https://www.koyasan.or.jp/kongobuji/charges/
- Kongobuji: Visitor guidance
- https://www.koyasan.or.jp/guidance/
Last verified: 2026.09.23
