Five-storied Pagoda - Kondo Hall
Walk and enjoy the refined architecture of the early part of the Edo Period
 

After passing through the Chumon Gate and up the approach road to the north, you will see the five-storied pagoda, which is also designated as an important cultural property. The pagoda, which stands 36 meters tall, represents the technical peak of construction skills of the Kanei Period (1624 - 1644). The tiles of each story are almost the same size, a characteristic of the Edo Period, and it is considered a perfect example of pagodas built in the ‘modern’ period of Japan (Edo Period). Apart from this pagoda, there are 5 other five-storied pagodas in Kyoto that have been designated as national treasures or important cultural properties: the pagodas at Toji Temple and Toji Treasure House, the pagoda at Daigoji Temple and the pagoda at Hokanji Temple (the Yasaka Pagoda). After you leave the pagoda behind, and go a little further to the north, you will arrive at the Kondo Hall, another national treasure. Because the building once held the Amida Sanzon (now kept at the Reihokan Museum), the principal image of Buddha enshrined at the temple when it was first constructed, the structure would be considered the Hondo Hall (main hall) at any other temple; but here at Ninnaji Temple it is called the Kondo Hall. The structure was originally constructed at the Kyoto Gosho site in 1613 (as the Shishinden Hall where official events were held), and was later moved to its present location. As the oldest remaining artifact of the Shishinden Hall, it is an important relic showing the architectural style employed by the imperial court during the Momoyama Period. On the west side of the Kondo Hall there is a tall vermilion belfry called the Shoro, with a hanging temple bell. Large and imposing, it is a good example of the bell towers built in the Edo Period. It is said to have been built in the Kanei Period and it has been designated as an important cultural property. To the west of the Shoro Belfry, is the Mizukakefudoson statue, dedicated to Fudō Myōō.

   
Five-storied pagoda
Five-storied pagoda
The roof of the five-storied pagoda
The roof of the five-storied pagoda
Kondo Hall
Kondo Hall
Shoro Belfry   Mizukakefudoson Statue   Mizukakefudoson Statue
Shoro Belfry   Mizukakefudoson Statue   Mizukakefudoson Statue
 
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