Risshakuji Chudo (Central Hall)

The Central Hall of Yamadera

The Risshakuji Chudo (Central Hall) (立石寺中堂), or Konpon Chudo, the main hall of Hojusan Risshakuji (Yamadera) near the trailhead at Yamadera, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, is a hip-and-gable hall rebuilt in the mid-Muromachi period and was designated an Important Cultural Property on April 23, 1908 (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Yamagata Prefecture).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as five bays square, single-storey, under a copper-covered hip-and-gable roof with a one-bay canopy; owned by Risshakuji.

Yamadera and Its Central Hall

According to the Yamadera Tourist Association, Yamadera is properly Hojusan Risshakuji, a Tendai temple founded in 860 by Jikaku Daishi (Ennin) at the wish of Emperor Seiwa. The temple says that at its founding it received a share of the eternal flame lit by Dengyo Daishi at Enryakuji.

According to Yamagata Prefecture, the hall is said to have been rebuilt in the Shohei era (1346 to 1370) and has been restored to its form at the major repair of 1608. The tourist association attributes the rebuilding to Shiba Kaneyori, first lord of Yamagata Castle, in 1356.

Why It Is an Important Cultural Property

The Risshakuji Chudo (Central Hall) was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1908. Yamagata Prefecture calls it the oldest building at Risshakuji, noting the bold Momoyama-period handling of the frog-leg struts, tie beams, bracket ends and gable decoration of the canopy. The tourist association describes it as the oldest beech-wood building in Japan.

What to Look For

The Risshakuji Chudo (Central Hall) is a plain, broad hall five bays (16.97 metres) square, with verandas on three sides and a one-bay canopy in front. Its roof, once shingled and earlier thatched, is now copper (Yamagata Prefecture).

The inner three bays form the sanctuary with the altar, and the front two the worship space, divided by fitted lattices; the dimly lit sanctuary is typical of esoteric Buddhist halls (Yamagata Prefecture). Inside are the hidden principal image, a seated Yakushi carved from a single block in the Heian period, and the eternal flame (Risshakuji).

Visiting Risshakuji

According to Risshakuji, admission is 500 yen for adults (junior high and up) and 200 yen for children aged four and over, cash only. Hours vary by season: 8:00 to 16:00 from April to September and 8:00 to 15:30 in October and November. More than 800 stone steps lead from the trailhead to the Okunoin, about an hour and a half up and down (Risshakuji, Yamadera Tourist Association).

The Risshakuji Chudo (Central Hall) is at 4456-1 Yamadera, Yamagata City. See the group page Risshakuji (Yamadera) for both of the temple's Important Cultural Property buildings.