A hall that faces the grave
The Minobusan Kuonji Joshoden Hall (身延山久遠寺常唱殿, Jōshōden) is a hall of 1958 facing south at the entrance to Nichiren's grave precinct in the Nishidani valley at Minobusan Kuonji in Minobu, Minobu Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2018/05/10.
The temple describes it as a building for worshipping at the grave. It was first called the Jokyoden, was known for a time as the Joshoden, and took Joshoden as its official name on 1 May 2000. The name carries the hope that the daimoku, the chanting of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, will never stop sounding before the grave.
It also houses the office of the Gobyo Homusho, the bureau that guards the grave, Nichiren's hermitage site and the graves of past abbots and handles the rites there. That name, too, became official on 1 May 2000.
A glass wall toward the tower
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey timber building of 341 square metres under a hip-and-gable cypress-bark roof. A formal entrance with a cusped karahafu gable projects at the front, and a raised reception room is attached to the north-west.
The heart of the Minobusan Kuonji Joshoden Hall is a room of 45 tatami mats. Its west side, which faces the mausoleum tower, is glazed from end to end, and the ceiling is coved and coffered. The temple puts it simply: a hall with a see-through glass front, set squarely opposite the tower.
Revival-style frog-leg struts and boat-shaped bracket arms finish the details, and the agency calls it a refined, elegant Japanese-style building.
What to look for, and visiting
For most visitors the Minobusan Kuonji Joshoden Hall is the first stop in the grave precinct. The Gobyo Homusho here hands out the precinct map and takes requests for worship at the grave and for offerings of incense and flowers.
Take in the karahafu entrance from the front, then note how the glazed west wall lines up with the tower. The temple website does not say how much of the interior is open to the public, and photography inside halls is generally not allowed. Hours and directions for the temple are on the Minobusan Kuonji page.
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Q&A
- What does the name of the Minobusan Kuonji Joshoden Hall mean?
- It carries the hope that chanting before Nichiren's grave will always continue.
- What was the Joshoden called before?
- It was first called the Jokyoden; Joshoden became its official name on 1 May 2000.
- What is inside the Joshoden?
- The office of the Gobyo Homusho, which looks after the grave precinct and handles requests for worship and offerings.
- When was the Joshoden built?
- In 1958.
- When was the Joshoden registered as a cultural property?
- On 2018/05/10.
Basic Information
| Name | Minobusan Kuonji Joshoden Hall (身延山久遠寺常唱殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3630 Minobu, Minobu-cho, Minamikoma-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 19-131 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/05/10 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, cypress-bark roof; footprint 341 square metres; main room of 45 tatami mats |
| Owner | Minobusan Kuonji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewing; Gobyo Homusho office inside (no photography inside halls) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Joshoden Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012355
- Minobusan Kuonji official site — Guide to the grounds (Japanese)
- https://www.kuonji.jp/precincts/
- Minobusan Kuonji official site — Gobyosho, Nichiren's grave (Japanese)
- https://www.kuonji.jp/precincts/gobyosho/
- Minobusan Kuonji official site — FAQ (Japanese)
- https://www.kuonji.jp/faq/
Last verified: 2026.10.01
