Buddhist templeZentsujicho · JP
Jogyodo
Tucked inside the vast eastern Garan of Zentsuji in Kagawa, Jōgyō Hall (Jōgyō-dō, also known as the Śākyamuni Hall or Shakadō) is one of the quieter, more intimate buildings on the grounds of temple number 75 of the Shikoku pilgrimage and the birthplace of the monk Kūkai. A timber hall rebuilt in the 1670s, it holds a seated image of Śākyamuni Buddha from the Edo period that visitors can look upon at close range. Jōgyō Hall offers a gentler counterpoint to Zentsuji's famous five-story pagoda and golden main hall. Its story is bound up with the temple itself: the building began life as the hall enshrining Kūkai's image before being relocated and rededicated, and today it stands as a registered tangible cultural property—a refined example of Edo-period temple carpentry.