An open bell tower before the founder's hall
The Minobusan Kuonji Great Bell Tower (身延山久遠寺大鐘楼, Daishōrō) is an open-sided bell tower of 1882 standing in front of the Soshido founder's hall at Minobusan Kuonji in Minobu, Minobu Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2018/05/10.
It went up the year after the Soshido itself, which dates from 1881, and was renovated in 1939. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a timber structure with a tiled roof and an area of 24 square metres.
Heavy columns, deep eaves
The Minobusan Kuonji Great Bell Tower is 3 bays square and has no walls at all. Thick round columns rise from a platform of dressed stone, locked together by penetrating tie beams. Overhead, a hip-and-gable roof of hongawara tiles, the classic round-and-flat pattern, runs its ridge east to west.
The central bay breaks the rhythm. A curved beam spans it at lintel height and carries a taiheizuka, a short strut shaped like a vase.
Three-stepped bracket sets crowd the tops of the columns and the spaces between them, holding out deep eaves of double rafters. The agency describes the tower as solid and weighty, with carving in the round and openwork carving at key points.
What to look for, and visiting
Because the Minobusan Kuonji Great Bell Tower is open on every side, its whole frame can be read from the ground. Stand under the eaves and look up to see the brackets step outwards in 3 stages.
Find the vase-shaped strut in the central bay, then the carving in the round and openwork at key points of the frame. The temple website does not say whether visitors may climb the tower or ring the bell. Photography outdoors is unrestricted. Hours and directions for the temple are on the Minobusan Kuonji page.
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Q&A
- Where is the Minobusan Kuonji Great Bell Tower?
- In front of the Soshido, the founder's hall, at Minobusan Kuonji.
- When was the Great Bell Tower built?
- In 1882; it was renovated in 1939.
- What kind of structure is the Great Bell Tower?
- An open-sided tower 3 bays square on a dressed-stone platform, with a hip-and-gable roof of hongawara tiles.
- How is the Great Bell Tower decorated?
- With carving in the round and openwork carving at key points, and a vase-shaped strut over the central bay.
- When was the Great Bell Tower registered as a cultural property?
- On 2018/05/10.
Basic Information
| Name | Minobusan Kuonji Great Bell Tower (身延山久遠寺大鐘楼) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4252 Minobu, Minobu-cho, Minamikoma-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 19-124 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/05/10 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, tiled roof; area 24 square metres; 3 bays square |
| Owner | Minobusan Kuonji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior only (grounds free; outdoor photography allowed) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Great Bell Tower
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012348
- 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
