Main Hall
(Kondō)

At the Main Hall’s center is Shitennōji Temple’s primary object of worship: a statue of the temple’s founder, Prince Shōtoku (574–622), as a manifestation of Guze Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion. This statue is flanked at its corners by the Shitennō, the Four Heavenly Kings, who are guardians of the four directions. When Prince Shōtoku battled the Mononobe clan, who opposed the spread of Buddhism throughout Japan, he prayed to the Four Heavenly Kings to receive their protection. He later attributed his victory to them. As an expression of his gratitude, he established Shitennōji and dedicated it to the Four Heavenly Kings.

After it was destroyed by firebombing in World War II, the Main Hall was reconstructed with reinforced concrete in 1961. The current Main Hall is a faithful reproduction of how it looked when it was first constructed in 593. The reconstruction was based on archaeological evidence and was also modeled on the main hall of Hōryūji Temple in Nara Prefecture, a temple that survives from the same time period. It was designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2022.

The interior walls of the Main Hall have murals painted by Nakamura Gakuryō (1890–1969) that depict events in the life of the historical Buddha. This hall also hosts a daily ceremony called shari-dashi, in which Buddhist relics are used to pray for the wellbeing of visitors to the temple and the gentle repose of the deceased.