What Is Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku?
Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku (高野山霊宝館放光閣, Hōkōkaku) is a 1920 gallery pavilion with a two-tiered pyramidal roof at Koyasan Reihokan Museum in Koya Town, Wakayama Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1998.
It stands at the end of the North Corridor from the entrance, and at the back it connects through the West Corridor to the Shiunden side of the museum. The pavilion is single-storey timber with a copper roof and a building area of 126 square meters. Its plan measures 5 by 5 bays at the lower level and 3 by 3 bays at the upper, so a one-storey room carries a double pyramidal roof (Hōgyō-zukuri).
A pent roof (Mokoshi) is attached to the rear part of the west side. The Agency for Cultural Affairs recorded in 1998 that a statue of Amida was housed inside.
Why Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku Was Registered
Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku was registered as a building that has become a model of form, and the agency's description dwells on its bracketing. The lower tier uses plain supports, a large bearing block with a boat-shaped bracket arm (Funahijiki). The upper tier is far busier: one-step projecting brackets (Degumi) set between the posts as well as on them (Tsumegumi), with tail rafters (Odaruki) jutting from the corners. Plain below and dense above, the two roofs read quite differently.
Temple carpentry is only half the story. The same record notes a cork floor, as in the Shiunden, and iron vertical louvers fixed outside the high windows, apparently a way of controlling daylight on the statues.
Among the five registered buildings, the Hōkōkaku is the only one with a tower-like, stacked roof, and it gives the low, spreading museum a vertical landmark.
Highlights of Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku
On the museum's route, Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku is the first gallery you enter after the North Corridor. The standing-display list places Heian-period sculpture here: the Four Heavenly Kings, a set of three seated Buddhas (Dainichi, Amida and Shaka) that once stood in the Taniue Dainichi-do, a seated Nyoirin Kannon and a standing Fudo Myoo.
Once you have looked at the statues, look up. The room under the double roof has high windows, and the iron louvers recorded outside them shape how the light falls on the figures.
Exhibits can change without notice for conservation reasons, so if you hope to see a particular statue, check with the museum before you go.
Visiting Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku
Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku is a working gallery, included in the admission ticket and open during museum hours. Photography (phones included) and sketching are prohibited inside.
There is no heating in the old buildings, so expect a chill in winter. Opening hours, fees and directions are on the Koyasan Reihokan Museum page.
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Q&A
- What kind of building is Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku?
- A 1920 gallery pavilion, single-storey timber, under a two-tiered pyramidal roof with a 5 by 5 bay lower level and a 3 by 3 bay upper level. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1998.
- What is special about the brackets of Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku?
- The lower tier uses simple bearing blocks with boat-shaped bracket arms, while the upper tier has densely set one-step projecting brackets with tail rafters at the corners. The Agency for Cultural Affairs highlights this contrast.
- Which statues are displayed in Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku?
- The museum's standing-display list names Heian-period statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, three seated Buddhas from the Taniue Dainichi-do, a seated Nyoirin Kannon and a standing Fudo Myoo. Displays may change without notice.
- Can I take photos inside Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku?
- No. Photography, including with phones, and sketching are banned in all of the museum's galleries.
- Where is Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku on the museum route?
- It is the first gallery on the route, reached along the North Corridor from the entrance. From there the route continues through the West and South Corridors to the Shiunden.
Basic Information
| Name | Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku |
|---|---|
| Location | 306 Koyasan, Koya-cho, Ito-gun, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered on September 2, 1998 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 126 m² (single-storey timber, two-tiered pyramidal roof, copper roofing; 5 by 5 bays below, 3 by 3 above) |
| Owner | Koyasan Cultural Properties Preservation Society (public interest incorporated foundation) |
| Public Access | Open as a museum gallery (admission charged; no photography inside) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00000804
- Cultural Heritage Online: Koyasan Reihokan Hokokaku (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/113684
- Koyasan Reihokan Museum: Standing Display List (Japanese)
- https://reihokan.or.jp/pages/158/
- Koyasan Reihokan Museum: Visitor Information (Japanese)
- https://reihokan.or.jp/riyo/
Last verified: 2026.10.07
