The hall that enshrines Nichiren
The Minobusan Kuonji Soshido Hall and Gokusho (身延山久遠寺祖師堂及び御供所, Soshidō oyobi Gokūsho) is a founder's hall of 1881 facing south, east of the main hall, registered together with a small building called the Gokusho, at Minobusan Kuonji in Minobu, Minobu Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2018/05/10.
A soshido is the hall a Buddhist school dedicates to its founder, and this one enshrines the spirit of Nichiren; the temple also calls it 棲神閣, the pavilion where the spirit dwells. Its origin is told two ways. The temple website says the hall of 感応寺, a temple abolished in the Edo period, was moved here and rebuilt in 1881. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it instead as a rebuilding for the 600th memorial of Nichiren's death. Neither source explains how the two accounts fit together.
The agency records the Soshido as a single-storey timber building with a copper roof and a footprint of 851 square metres, renovated in 1991 and 1994. The Gokusho is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof covering 32 square metres; the record says nothing more about it.
A T-shaped plan and a carved sanctuary
The plan is of the type called shumoku-zukuri, a T-shape named after the wooden beam that strikes a temple bell. Double-stepped bracket sets line the outer walls. In the gables, a tie beam, a vase-shaped strut and a carved frog-leg strut are stacked one on another, and a cusped karahafu gable curves out over the front porch.
Inside, the agency points to a vast middle sanctuary and an inner sanctuary dressed in fine carving. Together with the bold exterior, it says, they give the Minobusan Kuonji Soshido Hall and Gokusho the dignity expected of a head temple.
What to look for, and visiting
The Soshido is a working hall where visitors come in to pray. The temple says its halls are generally open, though some areas are closed at certain times, and a memorial service is held here on the 13th of every month, the day of Nichiren's death.
It is also the setting for the okaicho, in which the doors of the great shrine cabinet are opened to reveal the image of Nichiren. No booking is needed: ask at the reception counter during opening hours. It takes about 15 minutes and costs 2,000 yen per person. Photography inside is not allowed as a rule, but the exterior of the Minobusan Kuonji Soshido Hall and Gokusho can be photographed freely.
Stand at the front and look up at the curved gable over the porch and the beams and carved struts layered in the gable above it. 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 Soshido Hall and Gokusho?
- Soshidō oyobi Gokūsho; the full reading is Minobusan Kuonji Soshidō oyobi Gokūsho.
- Who is enshrined in the Soshido?
- Nichiren, the founder of the school. The temple also calls the hall 棲神閣.
- When was the Soshido built?
- In 1881. The temple says it reused the hall of the abolished temple 感応寺; the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a rebuilding for Nichiren's 600th memorial.
- What is the okaicho at the Soshido?
- A viewing of the image of Nichiren in the great shrine cabinet. It takes about 15 minutes, costs 2,000 yen per person and needs no booking.
- When was the Soshido and Gokusho registered as a cultural property?
- On 2018/05/10.
Basic Information
| Name | Minobusan Kuonji Soshido Hall and Gokusho (身延山久遠寺祖師堂及び御供所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4252 Minobu, Minobu-cho, Minamikoma-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 19-117 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/05/10 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Soshido: single-storey timber, copper roof, footprint 851 square metres; Gokusho: single-storey timber, tiled roof, footprint 32 square metres |
| Owner | Minobusan Kuonji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Interior open for worship (grounds free; no photography inside; okaicho viewing charged) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Soshido Hall and Gokusho
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012341
- 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
