Photo/Illutration The Konpon-Chudo main hall of Enryakuji temple (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

OTSU—The main hall of Enryakuji temple, a national treasure here on Mount Hieizan, will be restored to its Edo Period (1603-1867) appearance based on clues uncovered during repairs on the historic site.

Repair work on the Konpon-Chudo main hall will be extended by about three years until September 2030 to incorporate these new findings, officials with the Shiga prefectural government said on April 1.

The hall’s copper-plated roof is now green from rust, but new evidence shows that the plates were originally painted black.

Prefectural government officials said that when the Edo Period copper plates were removed for restoration, traces of black paint were found.

The plates were likely painted black to make them more durable, and examples of this technique have been found on the Nagoya Castle keep and other places.

Workers also found traces of the color and gold plating used centuries ago on the outer wall and under the eaves. From this, experts pieced together that the decorative objects of the eaves had been orange, while a deeper red was used farther down from the eaves.

The hall was razed in 1571 by the warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), but rebuilt in 1642 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa lineage. Although the roof had been made of wood, in 1798 it was replaced with the copper plates.

An official in charge of the current repairs said efforts would be made to re-create what the structure looked like when it was rebuilt by closely following the evidence to repaint the eaves and restore the roof to its original black.

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