Kai Kokubunji Temple Ruins

Kai Kokubunji Temple Ruins: The Provincial Temple of Kai

The Kai Kokubunji Temple Ruins (甲斐国分寺跡, Kai Kokubunji Ato) are the remains of a Nara-period provincial temple in Ichinomiya-cho Kokubu, Fuefuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture, designated a national Historic Site in 1922.

According to Fuefuki City, Kai Kokubunji was one of the provincial temples that Emperor Shomu ordered built across Japan in 741, and its full complex of halls occupied an area 300 metres north to south and 250 metres east to west. The site is owned and managed by Fuefuki City.

The present-day Kokubunji stands about 300 metres to the south. The city's tourism guide says the Nara temple declined after wars and fires, was revived on top of the old site by Takeda Shingen, and was later moved and rebuilt at its current location when the historic site was put in order.

Why It Was Designated

The 1922 designation note describes spots identifiable as the main hall and the pagoda: 27 foundation stones at the first, and at the second a central pillar base pierced by a hole with 14 stones in all, still in their original positions. A further 5 stones mark what appears to be the south gate, giving a sense of the original scale of the Kai Kokubunji Temple Ruins.

Fuefuki City says the foundation stones of the pagoda and the lecture hall convey the grandeur of the buildings. The identification of some buildings, such as the hall named as the main hall in 1922 and a lecture hall today, differs between the original note and current descriptions.

In March 2024 the Fuefuki City Board of Education adopted a plan for the long-term preservation and use of this site and the nearby Kai Kokubun Nunnery site.

What to Look For

Start with the pagoda's central pillar base, a large stone with a hole in the middle that once took the foot of the main post. Read it together with the stones around it and the footprint of the pagoda becomes clear.

Then compare the stone rows of each building. Because these stones remain where they were laid, the gaps between them give the spacing of the original pillars. To feel the size of a precinct 300 metres long, walk south to the present Kokubunji.

Visiting the Kai Kokubunji Temple Ruins

The site is outdoors, and no official information on fees or hours is published. The address is 425-1 Ichinomiya-cho Kokubu and neighbouring lots, Fuefuki City. No official details on public transport or parking were found, so contact the Fuefuki City Board of Education cultural properties division on 055-261-3342 before visiting.

The foundation stones are original features; do not stand on or move them.