The Shishunkan is a reception hall built in 1878 to receive important guests visiting Senjuji. Today, the hall is used in appointment ceremonies for new abbots. The name is celebratory and means “the pleasures of spring (or youth).”

The Meiji Emperor (1852–1912) stayed in the Shishunkan when he visited Senjuji in July of 1880. He slept in a small room to the east of the main room. The rings used for securing mosquito netting over his futon during his visit are still affixed to the walls. To the west of the main room is a toilet, and an interior corridor runs around the perimeter of the hall.

The main room of the hall contains a toko no ma, a decorative alcove usually adorned with an artistic scroll or flower arrangement. The toko no ma is covered in gold leaf, and the rest of the room’s decorations also use gold liberally. The designs on the sliding fusuma doors are relatively simple in the outermost section of the room, becoming more intricate and lavish towards the interior of the hall. In the innermost area, the doors and ceiling are completely covered with gold. This space, the kami no ma, was used for audiences with the emperor during his visit.

The Shishunkan is not open to the public.