The older of the 2 shoin
The Minobusan Kuonji Former Shoin (身延山久遠寺旧書院, Kyū Shoin) is a shoin of 1876, a building of formal reception rooms, standing north-east of the Great Guest Hall at Minobusan Kuonji in Minobu, Minobu Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2018/05/10.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the Minobusan Kuonji Former Shoin as a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a footprint of 205 square metres, renovated in 2011. As the name says, it is the older of the temple's 2 registered shoin; the New Shoin followed in 1931.
Heavy outside, refined within
The ridge runs east to west under a hip-and-gable roof of hongawara, the traditional pattern of alternating flat and round tiles. Lean-to roofs are added along the front and sides.
Inside, a raised jodan room and 3 further tatami rooms run in a single line, with tatami corridors and verandas down both sides. The ceilings are lifted high above 2 tiers of nageshi, the horizontal beams fixed across the posts, and openwork ranma carvings fill the transoms between the rooms. The agency names this delicate interior, set against the heavy exterior, as the building's defining feature.
What to look for, and visiting
The temple website does not mention any public opening of the rooms of the Minobusan Kuonji Former Shoin, and photography inside temple buildings is not allowed as a rule. Outdoor photography is free.
From outside, look at the tiled hip-and-gable roof and the lean-to roofs stepped below it. The New Shoin, east of the Great Guest Hall, makes a useful comparison: its roof uses plain sangawara pan tiles where the Former Shoin has the heavier hongawara. Hours and directions for the temple are on the Minobusan Kuonji page.
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Q&A
- How do you read the name of the Minobusan Kuonji Former Shoin?
- Kyū Shoin; the full reading is Minobusan Kuonji Kyū Shoin.
- Where is the Former Shoin?
- North-east of the Great Guest Hall in the main temple area.
- When was the Former Shoin built?
- In 1876; it was renovated in 2011.
- What is inside the Former Shoin?
- A raised jodan room and 3 tatami rooms in a row, with tatami corridors and verandas on both sides and openwork carved transoms between the rooms.
- When was the Former Shoin registered as a cultural property?
- On 2018/05/10.
Basic Information
| Name | Minobusan Kuonji Former Shoin (身延山久遠寺旧書院) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4252 Minobu, Minobu-cho, Minamikoma-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 19-122 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/05/10 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof (hongawara); footprint 205 square metres |
| Owner | Minobusan Kuonji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewing (no published opening of the interior; no photography inside) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Former Shoin
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012346
- Minobusan Kuonji official site — Guide to the grounds (Japanese)
- https://www.kuonji.jp/precincts/
- Minobusan Kuonji official site — FAQ (Japanese)
- https://www.kuonji.jp/faq/
Last verified: 2026.10.01
