| Located on the north edge of the Sakai moat region, this building has a history as a training temple, including appearing in the grand map of Sakai from 1689 under the name of Yamabushi Seigakuin. In addition to that, however, from the end of the Edo period to the start of the Meiji period it was also used as a private school to teach local children to read and write, under the name of the “Seikodo.” In fact, during that time Ekai Kawaguchi (1866 – 1945) also studied here, the man who went on to become the first Japanese person to cross the Himalayas in his search for Buddhist texts.
A valuable historical resource as a building from the end of the Edo period, it became a nationally registered tangible cultural property in 2002. The main room, kitchen, living quarters, and gate all fit compactly into the narrow grounds, and while the main room and living space are a single chamber inside, from the outside just the main room section has an elevated gable roof, creating a structure with quite a unique appearance. |
