Main hall (hondō) of Honrenji temple

Main hall (hondō) of Honrenji temple​

Nationally Designated Important Cultural Property (designated 1942)
Made: Originally 8th century CE, rebuilt in Meiō 1 (1492)
Location: Honrenji temple, Ushimado, Ushimado
Dimensions: Length: 12.71m Width: 12.13m

 Honrenji temple was originally built at some point between 782 and 805 and, due to its location near the historical harbour of Ushimado, played an important role during the Korean embassies, the Joseon Tongsinsa (chōsen tsūshinshi), which visited Japan in the 17th century. Used as an inn for the leaders of the embassies, it is now an important historical relic of the Korean embassies. 
 A hondō (lit. main hall) is a Buddhist hall housing the principal images most revered by a particular temple sect. From the ink inscription on the roof’s central ridge beam, we know that the current building was rebuilt in 1492 with the help of contemporary patrons of Honrenji Temple. The hall houses an altar, known as a shumidan in Japanese, and its interior is variously decorated with black lacquer and vivid colours. The most notable features of this building are its finely balanced exterior and the many distinctly Muromachi period (14th-16th c. CE) architectural motifs present in its construction, for example the curvature of its roof and the upper walls covered with white fresco.

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 Cultural properties in Setouchi city