Kai Zenkoji Temple

About Kai Zenkoji Temple

Kai Zenkoji Temple (甲斐善光寺) is a Jodo-sect temple at Zenkoji, Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, founded in 1558 when the images and treasures of Shinano Zenkoji were moved here, whose main hall, raised in 1785, and Sanmon Gate, raised in 1767, were designated Important Cultural Properties on June 22, 1955 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Its formal name, Jogakusan Jochiin Zenkoji, is the same as that of Zenkoji in Nagano (Kofu City). The temple and Kofu City relate that during the Kawanakajima wars Takeda Shingen, fearing for Shinano Zenkoji, moved its principal image, treasures and monks to Itagaki in Kai. It is owned by Zenkoji (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Two Buildings

The main hall (Kondo) is a vast hall in the shumoku style, its roofs forming a T; Kai Zenkoji gives a height of 27 metres and a depth of 49.1 metres. It is known for the echoing "crying dragon" ceiling and the dark kaidan-meguri passage beneath the altar, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs counts it among the representative large buildings of the late Edo period (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Kai Zenkoji).

The Sanmon Gate is a two-storey gate five bays wide with three passages and tall lower columns (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its ridge tag shows that it was rebuilt before the main hall, and the Nio guardians at its sides appear to have been left unfinished (Kofu City). Each building was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1955.

Fire and Rebuilding

The original buildings burned in a fire from the town in 1754. The gate was raised in 1767, and according to Kofu City the main hall was begun in 1766 and dedicated in 1796. Typhoon No. 7 brought down the gate in 1959; it was rebuilt together with the restoration of the main hall by 1962 (Kai Zenkoji).

Visiting and Location

According to Kai Zenkoji, admission is 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for elementary school children, with entry from 9:00 to 16:30 (longer during the periodic unveiling of the sacred image). The temple is a 7-minute walk from Zenkoji Station on the JR Minobu Line and a 15-minute walk from Sakaori Station on the JR Chuo Line, with free parking (Kai Zenkoji).

The address is 3-36-1 Zenkoji, Kofu City. The main hall stands straight ahead through the gate.