Walking with Architects, Cultural Property Stroll #03 | Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple
For the second installment of our walking series with Saiga-san and Yagi-san from the architectural design firm "wyes architects", we walked around Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple in Ota Ward.
This is the head temple of the Nichiren sect, founded in 1282. The vast grounds, covering approximately 70,000 tsubo, are filled with stairs and slopes, making it clear that this temple was built on high ground. The grand temple complex, formed with the patronage of the Tokugawa family and Kato Kiyomasa, houses a wide variety of structures, including the Daido (Great Hall), which features one of the largest tiled roofs in Japan, as well as a Five-Story Pagoda and a Tahoto Pagoda, both designated as Important Cultural Properties.
We stopped at various places to talk, but this time, we will introduce our exchange at the So-mon (Main Gate), which escaped the ravages of war and retains the atmosphere of its construction, and at the Five-Story Pagoda and Tahoto Pagoda, which are Important Cultural Properties. Their profound presence, different from the large and imposing Daido and Nio-mon, becomes even more prominent as the conversation progresses.
From the perspective of the two, who are involved in numerous cultural properties and historical buildings as part of their work, this content allows you to experience the new charms of Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple. We hope you enjoy it until the end.
Please see here for an introduction to wyes architects and our previous article (Himonya Stroll).
Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple: So-mon (Main Gate)
Theatre Yoshida (hereinafter "T"): We have arrived at Ikegami Honmon-ji. I've been noticing the Nichiren sect's calligraphy style for a while now; it has a street art vibe that I find cool, and I couldn't help but stare at it. It's called "Hige-daimoku" (bearded title), right? I didn't know that. This is the head temple of the Nichiren sect, and this is the entrance gate.
wyes architects Saiga & Yagi (hereinafter "w"): This is the So-mon. Compared to the gate at Enyu-ji Temple we visited before, this one is larger. This is a style called Korai-mon. It's a form where two large pillars are connected by a kabuki (lintel) and supported by two pillars in the back. Instead of a square cross-section, it uses flat, rectangular pillars.
T: You mean this part, right?
w: Yes, this shape is called gohira. This part of the pillar is joined, isn't it? This joint is very large. Can you see it? The base of the pillar is joined right here. This is a joint called kanawa-tsugi. It's a method where you interlock them, insert a pin, and secure it tightly. On the other hand, that one over there is an ari-tsugi joint. But this gate is huge. And it's black. I wonder if we'd get scolded if we kept touching it too much. (laughs)
T: Are there other black gates?
w: Speaking of black gates, there's the former Honbo Omotemon (Black Gate) of Kanei-ji Temple in Ueno, I suppose. It's not that there aren't any, but it might be rare.
Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple: Five-Story Pagoda (Important Cultural Property)
w: This is the Five-Story Pagoda of Ikegami Honmon-ji, an Important Cultural Property. It's refined. It really is cool. Also, the fact that this paint is a matte red is cool, too. It's not that shiny, polished look. And it has a sense of dignity.
T: It's built where cars normally pass by, but the atmosphere is different.
w: Let's start with the first story. The rafters (taruki, the square timbers supporting the roof boards) of this roof are aligned in parallel, aren't they? The direction, I mean.
This is called heiko-taruki (parallel rafters). As you go up, from the second story onwards, they spread out, don't they? That is called ogi-taruki (fan rafters).
T: Oh. Is that for design?
w: Simply put, yes. Temple architecture can be broadly divided into two styles: Wayo (Japanese style) and Zenshuyo (Zen style). Wayo is an expression with stronger Japanese elements. Zenshuyo is said to have larger Chinese elements, but this pagoda is characterized by being eclectic, with only the first story being Wayo and the second story and above being in the Zenshuyo style.
w: To be specific, the way these hijiki (brackets that support the weight from above at the top of the pillars) are made, or for example, the corner rafters, the odaruki (tail rafters). Can you see that the shapes are different? The ones from the second story up have pointed tips, don't they? They go diagonally.
T: Yes. They are sticking out diagonally.
w: They are square on the first story, right? As you go up, there are three of them, and the tips are tapered. The way the corners are handled and the curves are applied are slightly different. I assume they are considering the balance.
T: This is a basic question, but what exactly is a five-story pagoda...?
W: That's a pretty difficult question. Haha.
Originally, they were meant to house things like sarira (Buddha's remains).
T: So, it's a grave?
W: The Buddha's, yes. Pagodas are also called sotoba, and the word 'sotoba' is actually a corruption of the word 'stupa'.
It seems that when the Buddha passed away, his remains were divided among everyone, and the original purpose of a stupa was to house them. Later, as it spread to China, Korea, and Japan, it evolved into the shape of a pagoda. In Japan, there are not only five-story pagodas, but also three-story and seven-story ones.
W: For example, if there was a Buddha that a donor cherished deeply, they might house that Buddha inside. In this case, Tokugawa Hidetada was the donor, so in short, it's a bit different from a main image that everyone visits to receive blessings; it's more personal.
Most five-story pagodas don't open their interiors to the public, and there's no offering box here either, so it might not have been intended as a place for worship.
T: You're right, I don't really have an image of going inside one.
W: Indeed. By the way, I believe there are colorful paintings inside this one. In short, I think there's also a sentiment of hoping that when you die, or when someone you care about passes away, they will be able to go to a good place when they are called to the Pure Land.
T: Are there stairs inside?
W: There are no stairs. Some pagodas have ladder-like structures you can climb, but I don't recall there being one here. It is said that inside the pagoda, there is a central pillar that starts from above the first story, above the ceiling.
T: The zodiac signs are depicted here as well.
W: That's right. That blue part is called a kaerumata (frog-leg strut), and the animals of the zodiac are depicted there. It's quite common to see the zodiac depicted in places like this. You see it on five-story pagodas too.
Still, this five-story pagoda is cool. The proportions are excellent.
Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple: Tahoto Pagoda (Important Cultural Property)
W: The Tahoto Pagoda is also an Important Cultural Property. It was built in 1830, so it's on the newer side for an Important Cultural Property. It was built for the 550th memorial service of the sect's founder, so I believe it's the place where Nichiren Shonin rests. There aren't many Important Cultural Properties from the latter part of the early modern period, so it must have been a notable building.
T: There are lotus flowers under the building, and the colors seem overwhelmingly more vivid compared to the other buildings we've seen so far. The shape and use of color gave me a momentary impression of something Chinese.
W: It's true that a circular shape is rare in Japan. And this coloring might also be rare. The five-story pagoda was red, too. I believe there were colorful paintings inside here as well. Also, it's amazing—those corners (the underside of the eaves), the dragon-shaped tail rafters are stacked in three tiers; there's an incredible number of them.
T: Dragons were depicted on the main hall and the five-story pagoda, but the number here is incomparable to those. By the way, is the round part at the bottom also made of wood?
W: I think the base is made of wood and finished with plaster. It's a very magnificent building. I'm not sure if this is the right way to put it, but it looks somewhat like a large piece of Buddhist altar equipment. It's cool.
W: Wooden buildings that are Important Cultural Properties, like the Tahoto Pagoda, are vulnerable to fire, so fire-extinguishing equipment is installed in the vicinity. If it were connected directly to the water supply, there's a possibility that the water line could be cut during an earthquake. That's why they prepare an independent water source. We saw a water tank earlier, and there is a fire hydrant here that draws from that tank. This is how they protect the building from fire.
T: It's a precaution for emergencies. It's not a place you often look at when visiting for prayer, but it's an important facility.
T: Personally, among the buildings we saw today, the Tahoto Pagoda had the most impact.
W: Ikegami Honmon-ji has a rich variety of buildings. It's interesting that there are buildings from various eras. There are modern, early modern, and post-war ones. It might be rare to have multiple buildings with different characters, even if they aren't completely disjointed.
Reflecting on the Ikegami Honmon-ji Stroll
While many people pass through the main gate, the five-story pagoda is located in an area where graves are gathered, a little away from the main street, and the Tahoto Pagoda is not visible from where the main hall is, so many people might leave without noticing its existence if they don't have prior information. However, these buildings are about 200 to 400 years old. They exude a quiet and profound atmosphere that is different from the power of the main hall and the Nio-mon gate.
Also, although it is not a cultural property, it was impressive that Mr. Saiga paid attention to the building that seems to be a warehouse next to the main hall. He mentioned that while they changed the way the roof tiles were laid and were conscious of its secondary status, they carefully devised ways to keep it from being too simple, such as matching the rain gutters to the atmosphere of the temple and chamfering the corners.
There are many repaired sections on the 96 stone steps (Shikyo-nanji-zaka) beyond the main gate. It is said that Kato Kiyomasa donated them when only a few years had passed since the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and one can see how they have been carefully maintained for over 400 years since then.
It was a valuable opportunity to feel the beauty and resilience emitted by the 'quiet protagonists' of Ikegami Honmon-ji.
Information
Nichiren Shu Head Temple Ikegami Honmon-ji
Address: 1-1-1 Ikegami, Ota-ku, Tokyo
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Thank you for reading to the end.
This article is reprinted from the column on the official website of Theatre Inc. (Original article here)
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