Toward the top of the hill is a building quietly overlooking its surroundings. People usually walk by this place on their way to the temple. What do you think this building is? It is in fact Shinshō-ji’s “former former former main hall”. In other words, the first main hall of the temple.

It was built in the year 1655 and served as the temple’s main hall for about 50 years, until the number of visitors to the temple started increasing. The hall became too small for people to fit in, so a new hall was built (Kōmyō-dō), followed by hall number 3 (Shaka-dō), and the fourth hall (Daihon-dō), all of which you have just visited.

This is proof that the number of pilgrimages to Shinshō-ji suddenly increased. However, usually the main halls of temples are regularly replaced due to decay or wearing out or natural disasters. The old main hall is usually broken down and the still usable pieces are reused to build a new hall. But in Shinshō-ji’s case, the main hall needed to be become larger to accompany the sudden popularity of the temple. So, dismantling the old halls would have been such a waste, so instead they were moved to a different location to serve a different purpose.

By the way, Danjūrō Ichikawa I was blessed with a child after praying in this building, when it was still the main hall.