In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the Buddhist priest Ankokuji Keiji to construct a great sutra hall and required that one thousand recitations of sutras be performed there each month. As a result, the building came to be known as the “Senjōkaku” (“Pavilion of One Thousand Tatami Mats”), referring to its floor area, which is equivalent to 857 tatami mats, making it the largest wooden structure on the island.
Due to Hideyoshi’s sudden death, construction was halted midway; apart from the completion of the roof, the rest of the building remains unfinished to this day, including the ceiling, which was never installed.
It is said that during the Edo period, Senjōkaku was already a popular spot for cooling off and social gatherings. The thick wooden pillars inside still bear carved inscriptions from kabuki actors of the time and from figures such as Senryūju.
During the Meiji period, as part of the policy of separating Shinto and Buddhism, the Buddhist statues originally enshrined there were moved to Daiganji Temple. The building itself was repurposed as Hokoku Shrine, dedicated to the worship of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
