Kosanji: A Glorious Temple - 2

Multi-colored temple on the island in Seto Inland Sea

Takako Sakamoto Sep 21, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>Statue of Monk Shinran standing silently in the woods at the back of the Main Hall</p>

<p>Although the Sanmon (outer gate) of this temple is fashioned after the gate of Shishinden Hall at Kyoto Imperial Palace, most of it is made of steel and coated with red paint.</p>

<p>The five-storied pagoda stands in the center of the temple grounds. The main hall and the pagoda stand on a straight line, which resembles the layout of the buildings at Shitenno-ji Temple in Osaka</p>

<p>A golden decoration hanging from the ceiling of Koyomon Gate. The glitter makes the gate look more gorgeous</p>

<p>The relief carvings painted in gold and silver on the pillars and the colors painted in the complicated structures are extraordinarily gorgeous. This might be the most gorgeous architecture in Japan</p>

<p>'Rakando', a registered tangible cultural asset of Japan, is a twin wing corridor flanking Chu-mon gate in the center</p>

<p>Notice the difference of carvings and coloring between Nikko Toshogu Shrine and this gate, which is more brilliant in color and far more delicate</p>

<p>When you pass through Koyomon Gate, you'll be surprised by its gorgeous ceilings</p>

<p>It took ten years to construct Koyomon Gate after they had acquired the construction map of the model gate (Yomeimon Gate at Nikko Toshogu Shrine), which had been kept at the Ministry of Education</p>

<p>A poem is carved on this stone, and (in my interpretation) probably means, 'Filial piety is valuable. The temple I built for my late-mother was completed when chrysanthemums were fragrant and blooming'</p>

Mr. Kozo Kanemoto (he later changed his surname to Kosanji) started to build this temple in 1937. It took half his life to complete it. It is amazing that he built this entire temple complex by his own means.

The temple grounds, approximately 50,000 square meters, spreads out over the hillside of Mt. Kannon, and more than thirty buildings stand here. As I wrote in the previous story of this series, many of the temple buildings are modeled after some of Japan's finest architectural monuments from renowned temples and shrines: Koyomon Gate from Yomeimon Gate of Nikko Toshogu Shrine, the Main Hall from the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin, etc. The variety of reproductions here are just amazing. In this photo story, details of these buildings are featured. (All photos were taken in May, 2013)

Kosanji Series

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...