A Rare Double-Nagare Hall in the Mountains
The Haushiwake Shrine Kagura Hall (波宇志別神社神楽殿) is a kagura hall of the mid-Muromachi period in Omorimachi Yasawagi, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on January 26, 1980 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records three bays by four, single-storey, gabled, roofed with wooden shingles; designation number 02095.
A Hall of a Mountain Ascetic Shrine
The Haushiwake Shrine Kagura Hall belongs to a shrine of the mountain ascetic tradition in the hills of southern Akita, and takes the double-nagare form, with the roof sweeping out on both front and back, of which few examples survive anywhere in Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Akita Sakigake Shimpo reports that the shrine's Shimotsuki Kagura, an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, is performed through the night in the hall of its lower village shrine (November 2025).
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency notes its heavy timbers and plain design, and values it as a building that preserves an old style surviving in the northern Tohoku region.
What to Look For
Look for the double-nagare roof, sweeping down at front and back, and the heavy, plain timbers (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Haushiwake Shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official visiting information was found.
Q&A
- When was the hall built?
- In the mid-Muromachi period (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is unusual about its form?
- It is a double-nagare hall, a rare type.
- Why is it valuable?
- It preserves an old northern Tohoku style in heavy, plain timbers.
- Is the Shimotsuki Kagura held here?
- According to the press, it is held in the hall of the lower village shrine.
- When was the Haushiwake Shrine Kagura Hall designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On January 26, 1980 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Haushiwake Shrine Kagura Hall (波宇志別神社神楽殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | Omorimachi Yasawagi, Yokote City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1980/01/26 (Showa 55) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3 × 4 bays, single storey, gabled, shingle roof |
| Owner | Haushiwake Shrine |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Haushiwake Shrine Kagura Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/171
- Shimotsuki Kagura in Yokote (Akita Sakigake Shimpo, November 9, 2025, Japanese)
- https://www.sakigake.jp/news/article/20251108AK0022/
Last verified: 2026.10.21