Daisen-in(3): Hojo: still looking as it did 500 years ago

As you pass through the front gate and proceed along the stone pavement, Hojo, the priest’s living quarters, can be seen to your left. 

The Hojo of Daisen-in is a wooden building with a history going back 500 years. 

In this area of Kyoto which has suffered from many fires, this building has a special value for the way it has retained its original form from the early 16th century. At the Hojo of this temple, you will see a hallway that represents the starting point for a style of hallway that has continued to be seen right up to the present day in Japanese buildings. 

This hallway was built in 1513. Despite its simple and small-scale design, an exquisite openwork feature on the upper part of the door creates a very special touch. 

In addition, a room here called Sho-in, a drawing room, features Japan’s oldest tokonoma, a type of recess used in Japanese buildings.

 Look at it carefully. 

The black wooden edge on the wall in the back of the recess adds a pretty touch to this small space. 

The texture of this wooden edge gives you a clear sense of its long history of 500 years. 

The sense of “old Japan” is also apparent in the roof of Hojo which has been thatched with hiwada-buki, a traditional Japanese roofing style using cypress bark. 

Stop and get a sense of the history of the temple by experiencing the warm touch of the wood against your own hands.