Sanuki Kokubunji: where a pilgrimage temple overlaps an ancient temple site
Sanuki Kokubunji Temple (Sanuki Kokubun-ji) in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, is both Temple No. 80 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage and a living temple that preserves the site of a provincial temple from the Nara period.
While worshiping at the present Main Hall and Daishi Hall, you can trace the foundation stones of the former kondō and pagoda and read some 1,300 years of history within a single precinct.
Basics of Temple No. 80
Its full mountain and sub-temple name is Hakugyūzan Senjuin, it belongs to the Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism, and its principal image is the Eleven-Faced, Thousand-Armed Kannon Bodhisattva.
The temple number marks your present point on the pilgrimage, but at Sanuki Kokubunji you should also notice the history of its transition from an ancient state temple to a pilgrimage temple sustained by popular devotion.
Shikoku’s only Special Historic Site
An area approximately 330 m east to west and 240 m north to south, including the present Kokubunji precinct, was designated a National Historic Site in 1928 and a Special Historic Site in 1952.
Because remains from the temple’s founding period survive in good condition, this is the only National Special Historic Site of its kind in Shikoku, and the present place of prayer is itself part of the historic site.
Decide what to focus on before you explore
| Place | Clue to the period | What to observe |
|---|---|---|
| Former kondō site | Nara period | 32 foundation stones and the building’s scale |
| Former seven-story pagoda site | Nara period | 15 foundation stones and the central core stone |
| Present Main Hall | Around the middle of the Kamakura period | Its overlap with the former lecture hall site |
| Bronze bell | Estimated early Heian period | Ancient style and legends |
Learn about the founding of provincial temples in 741 and Sanuki’s great temple complex
To understand how Sanuki Kokubunji began, look beyond the history of this temple alone to Emperor Shōmu’s policy of establishing a provincial monastery and nunnery in every province.
Imperial edict to establish provincial temples
In 741 (Tenpyō 13), Emperor Shōmu ordered each province to build a state-run monastery and nunnery.
The policy sought national stability through Buddhism amid social anxiety caused by epidemics, natural disasters, and civil unrest, and provincial temples served as centers of culture and learning as well as prayer.
Establishment in Sanuki Province
The Shoku Nihongi records that in 756, on the first anniversary of Emperor Shōmu’s death, Sanuki was among the 26 provinces that received distributed offerings, suggesting that the principal buildings had been completed by then.
Temple tradition says that Gyōki founded the temple and that Kōbō Daishi later repaired the principal image and designated the site as a pilgrimage temple.
Daikan-daiji-style layout
Excavations show that the temple precinct measured about 220 m east to west and 240 m north to south, with the South Gate, Middle Gate, kondō, lecture hall, and monks’ quarters aligned in a straight north–south line.
You can imagine the “Daikan-daiji-style” layout—with the pagoda placed east of and inside the corridor linking the Middle Gate and kondō—by comparing it with the current positions of the Niōmon Gate and foundation stones.
Read the foundation stones of the kondō and seven-story pagoda sites
Foundation stones are not merely large rocks; they are primary evidence showing the positions of lost pillars and the outline of a building.
The 32 foundation stones remaining at the kondō site
In front of the present Main Hall, 32 andesite fieldstone foundation stones remain from the former kondō.
The original kondō is estimated to have measured 7 bays, about 28 m, along the ridge and 4 bays, about 14 m, across, roughly the same scale as the Kondō of Tōshōdai-ji Temple in Nara.
The 15 foundation stones that supported the seven-story pagoda
Southeast of the kondō site, 15 foundation stones remain from the pagoda, whose plan is estimated to have been about 10 m square.
The large central core stone has a mortise about 40 cm across, offering a concrete sense of the lost central pillar and the vertical scale of the seven-story pagoda.
Observe without damaging the foundation stones
Do not stand on the stones or place objects on them. From a short distance, follow the pillar lines and the scattered stones will begin to form the building’s floor plan.
Do not block worshipers’ paths; compare the stones with reconstruction markers and on-site explanations as you shift your gaze from the ancient kondō toward the pagoda.
Visit the Kamakura-period Main Hall and Important Cultural Properties
Although the ancient complex declined, worship never ceased, and the present Kokubunji layers medieval and later devotion around the former lecture hall site.
The present Main Hall standing on the former lecture hall site
The Main Hall, a National Important Cultural Property, is thought to date from around the middle of the Kamakura period; researchers suggest that the ancient lecture hall’s foundation stones may have been moved as the building was reduced in scale.
Rather than viewing the Nara-period foundations and Kamakura-period building separately, observe them as evidence that the sacred place was inherited.
The hidden Eleven-Faced, Thousand-Armed Kannon
The principal image, an Important Cultural Property said to be carved from a single piece of zelkova, is now kept hidden from public view.
It is unveiled once every 60 years, with the next unveiling expected in 2040. Do not assume it can be seen during an ordinary visit; worship quietly before its miniature shrine.
Daishi Hall and other halls in the precinct
The precinct includes the Daishi Hall, Dainichi Nyorai Hall, Thousand Jizō Hall, Enma Hall, a Benzaiten statue, and a miniature Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage.
Do not finish after viewing only the historic remains. Center your visit on worship at the Main Hall and Daishi Hall and move through the precinct as a place where faith remains alive.
Listen for the history and legends of the ancient bell
Sanuki Kokubunji’s bronze bell is both a cultural property that conveys historical form and craftsmanship and an object wrapped in local memory.
The bronze bell regarded as the oldest in Kagawa Prefecture
This bronze bell is considered the oldest in Kagawa Prefecture and is a National Important Cultural Property thought to date from the early Heian period.
Because it has no inscription, sources differ in how they date it. It is safer not to state simply that it is “the oldest in Shikoku,” but to note the differences among sources.
The legend of the bell that wanted to return to Kokubu
Legend says that the bell was moved to Takamatsu Castle in the early Edo period but would not ring, and was returned to the temple after pleading, “I want to go back to my original home in Kokubu.”
Do not treat the legend as proof of historical fact; receive it as a story treasured and passed down because the bell symbolizes the temple and community.
Plan worship and a museum visit in one day
Combining the temple precinct with the Sanuki Kokubunji Site Museum to the east lets you move back and forth between the foundation stones in the field and the results of archaeological excavation.
Order for walking through the precinct
Enter through the Niōmon Gate, worship at the Main Hall and Daishi Hall, then inspect the kondō foundation stones, seven-story pagoda foundation stones, and bronze bell; if time permits, visit the other halls.
Most of the precinct is nearly step-free and accessible by wheelchair, although individual halls have steps.
Access by JR and car
| Method | Approximate travel time | Check in advance |
|---|---|---|
| JR | About a 4-minute walk from Kokubu Station on the Yosan Line | Local train schedules |
| Car | About 9 minutes from Fuchūko IC | Road conditions and the parking area in front of the temple gate |
| Museum | About 50 m east of the designated historic-site area | Opening days and exhibit contents |
Worship hours are 8:00–17:00, with final entry at 16:30; the parking area in front of the temple gate holds about 20 cars. Details may change, so check before departure.
Add context at the Sanuki Kokubunji Site Museum
At the museum, excavated roof tiles, pottery, metal objects, and a 1/20-scale model of the original kondō help explain the ancient temple complex.
In addition to its permanent exhibition, the museum sometimes holds special exhibitions.
The museum is open from 9:00 to 16:30. Admission is 200 yen for adults, 150 yen for university students, and free for high school students and younger.
Exhibition periods, closing days, and fees may change, so reconfirm the museum information for the day of your visit.
Summary | Build Sanuki Kokubunji’s history from the foundation stones on the ground
Sanuki Kokubunji connects worship at Temple No. 80, the Nara-period foundation stones of the kondō and seven-story pagoda, the Kamakura-period Main Hall, and the ancient bell in one place.
When you picture the lost great complex from the rows of foundation stones and face the prayers still offered in the present Main Hall, you can experience the long transition from a state temple to a temple for the local community and pilgrims.
Combine the museum’s model and excavated artifacts with your visit, and carefully read the history remaining in the ground without harming cultural properties or obstructing worshipers’ routes.
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