A long hall for receiving guests
The Minobusan Kuonji Great Guest Hall (身延山久遠寺大客殿, Daikyakuden) is a reception hall of 1886 facing west, east of the Butsuden and Nohaido, at Minobusan Kuonji in Minobu, Minobu Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2018/05/10.
A kyakuden is the building in which a temple receives its guests. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the Minobusan Kuonji Great Guest Hall as a single-storey timber building with a copper roof and a footprint of 531 square metres, renovated in the late Meiji period and again in 1971. It judges the grand, imposing exterior to have the dignity a head temple needs for its reception rooms.
2 entrances and 5 great rooms
The building stretches out under a long hip-and-gable roof with its eaves side to the front. At the centre of the facade is the grand entrance, crowned by a forward-facing cusped karahafu gable and fitted with a shikidai, the broad low step where guests come up into the building. At the east end is a second, smaller entrance under its own hip-and-gable roof.
Inside are 5 tatami-floored rooms, one of them a 20-mat jodan, a room whose floor is raised a step above the rest.
What to look for, and visiting
The temple website does not mention any public opening of the Minobusan Kuonji Great Guest Hall. Photography inside temple buildings is not allowed as a rule, but outdoor photography is unrestricted.
From outside, the grand entrance with its curved gable is the thing to see. Then follow the long eaves east to the small entrance at the far end and compare the two. Hours and directions for the temple are on the Minobusan Kuonji page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Yamanashi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Minobusan Kuonji Great Guest Hall
- [ Mt. Fuji & Lake Kawaguchiko Day Tours ]
Q&A
- How do you read the name of the Minobusan Kuonji Great Guest Hall?
- Daikyakuden, "dai-kya-ku-den"; the full reading is Minobusan Kuonji Daikyakuden.
- Where is the Great Guest Hall?
- East of the Butsuden and Nohaido in the main temple area, facing west.
- When was the Great Guest Hall built?
- In 1886; it was renovated in the late Meiji period and in 1971.
- What is inside the Great Guest Hall?
- 5 tatami-floored rooms, including a raised 20-mat jodan.
- When was the Great Guest Hall registered as a cultural property?
- On 2018/05/10.
Basic Information
| Name | Minobusan Kuonji Great Guest Hall (身延山久遠寺大客殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4252 Minobu, Minobu-cho, Minamikoma-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 19-120 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/05/10 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, copper roof; footprint 531 square metres; 5 tatami rooms |
| 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) — Great Guest Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012344
- 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
