Shinmeisha Kannon Hall

A Small Kannon Hall of 1734

The Shinmeisha Kannon Hall (神明社観音堂, Shinmeisha Kannon-dō) is a hall of 1734, in the mid-Edo period, in the grounds of Shinmeisha shrine at Iidagawa-Iizuka, Katagami City, Akita Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on November 22, 1952 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a one-bay (ikkensha) hall with a hip-and-gable roof, a one-bay front porch under a cusped karahafu gable, and a shingle roof; designated together with 1 shrine cabinet and 2 ridge tags. Designation number 01392, owned by Shinmeisha.

A Kannon Hall Recorded as a Shrine Building

Although the Shinmeisha Kannon Hall is called a Kannon hall, the Agency for Cultural Affairs database classes it under pre-modern shrine buildings, and it is owned by Shinmeisha (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Akita Prefecture's list of cultural properties gives the address as Nakayama 16, Iidagawa-Iizuka, Katagami City, and records an additional designation on June 28, 1956, following the designation of November 22, 1952.

Why It Was Designated

The Shinmeisha Kannon Hall was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1952. Though only one bay wide, it has a front porch with a cusped gable, and 1 shrine cabinet and 2 ridge tags were designated with it (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

What to Look For

A one-bay porch projects from the front of the hip-and-gable roof, crowned by a cusped karahafu gable (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The light lines of the shingle roof and the cusped-gable porch give the Shinmeisha Kannon Hall its character.

Visiting

The Shinmeisha Kannon Hall stands in the grounds of Shinmeisha. No official information on interior opening or visiting hours has been found, so the hall is seen from outside, from the shrine grounds.

The address is Nakayama 16, Iidagawa-Iizuka, Katagami City (Akita Prefecture). It is worth checking locally about access and parking before visiting.