Negoroji (Iwade)

Locally knownKnown to people who live here. Not in the international guidebooks.

Recherche et rédaction Hinato

NegorojiDaitoNational Treasuretahotowarrior monks

Photo: Kumamushi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · original

Negoroji was, at its height in the sixteenth century, a monastic complex of some two thousand buildings with an armed force of thousands of warrior monks who had adopted matchlock firearms early and used them well. In 1585 Toyotomi Hideyoshi destroyed it. Almost everything burned.

The Daito survived. It is a multi-storey pagoda in the tahoto form, finished in 1547, more than forty metres high and by a wide margin the largest of its kind in Japan — and it is the only tahoto in the country whose interior is open to visitors, so you can stand inside the drum and look at the structure. It is a National Treasure and it still carries bullet scars from the 1585 assault. The grounds are large, wooded and quiet, and admission to the main precinct is ¥500.

Informations essentielles

Horaires d'ouverture

9:10 AM – 4:30 PM (April–October) | 9:10 AM – 4:00 PM (November–March)

Fermé: No regular closing days | Viewing restricted during services, typically in late October

Tarif d'entrée

¥500 for the Daito, Daishi-do and Daidenpo-do precinct

Meilleure saison

Late March–April for cherry blossom | Late November for autumn colour

Durée de visite

60–90 minutes

Comment s'y rendre

Informations d'accès

2286 Negoro, Iwade. Car recommended. Admission ¥500 for the precinct covering the Daito, Daishi-do and Daidenpo-do. No regular closing days, though viewing may be restricted during services — the Daishi-do, Daito and Daidenpo-do are typically unavailable in late October for annual rites. Phone.

Guide d'initié

**Go inside the Daito.** It is the only tahoto in Japan whose interior is open, which is the specific reason to come rather than to look at another pagoda from outside. **Look for the bullet marks.** The 1585 attack left damage on the structure that is still visible and pointed out. **Late October is restricted.** Annual rites usually close the Daito, Daishi-do and Daidenpo-do for a period. Ring the temple office before travelling in that window. **The grounds are big.** Beyond the ticketed precinct there is a large wooded site with gates, a garden and a stream. Allow more time than the pagoda alone suggests. **Winter closes half an hour earlier.** 4:00 PM from November to March against 4:30 PM the rest of the year.

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