A Worship Hall Rebuilt at the End of the Edo Period
Shinmei Shrine Haiheiden (神明社拝幣殿, Shinmeisha Haiheiden) is the combined worship hall and offering hall of Yoshizawa Shinmei Shrine in Yoshizawa, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture; the worship hall was completed in 1867, the offering hall was added in 1915, and the building was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 9 June 2004. It is the first building a visitor faces on reaching the top of the long stone stairway.
It replaced a hall lost to fire in 1841. Yurihonjo City dates the start of work to the seventh month of 1863 and completion to 1867. The Akita Prefectural Association of Shinto Shrines tells it slightly differently: permission to rebuild came in 1863, construction started in 1867 and took four years. The sources disagree on the exact years, but both describe several years of work in the final decade of the Edo period. The national database gives the date as 1867, with an extension in 1915.
The plan joins two blocks in a T. The worship hall is 3 bays by 3; the offering hall behind it is 3 bays by 2. The roof is copper-clad and the building covers 158 square metres. Beyond the offering hall lies the Main Hall of 1915.
Carvings and a Pair of Wrestlers
The front is composed of a Chidori-hafu, a triangular gable set into the slope of the roof, above a Kōhai entrance porch capped with a Noki-karahafu, a gently bowed gable along the eaves. The straight triangle and the curve sit one above the other, and carving fills the spaces between.
Look up at the tie beams. On the Kōryō beams linking the porch posts to the side posts of the worship hall sits a pair of carved sumo wrestlers, one on each side, braced as though holding up the structure. It is a playful device: the weight of the roof appears to rest on their shoulders.
The carved repertoire is broad: dragons, lions, phoenixes, tigers among bamboo, hares riding waves, chrysanthemums. The carver was Ogawa Matsushirō (小川松四郎). His name appears again, as carver, on the ridge tablet of the kuden made for the Main Hall in 1883, which shows that he served this shrine over two decades.
Paintings by the Domain's Official Artists
Inside are paintings by artists retained by the Honjō domain. The coffered ceiling panels are attributed to Tanigawa Tanzan (谷川丹山), the wall paintings to Suzuki Baizan (鈴木梅山) and the large votive plaques to Makino Sessen (牧野雪僊). Yurihonjo City counts all three among the leading Kanō-school painters of the Honjō and Yuri area. Many of the ceiling panels take their subjects from Chinese classics, according to guides quoted by the local press.
The Honjō domain was ruled by the Rokugō family, and here the work of its official painters is gathered in the worship hall of a village shrine well away from the castle town. The hall was registered as difficult to reproduce. It is easy to see why: remaking this density of carving and painting with the same skills would be a tall order, and Yurihonjo City names this richness of decoration as the shrine's defining feature.
Seeing the Haiheiden
The exterior of Shinmei Shrine Haiheiden, including the porch carvings and the two wrestlers, can be seen from the top of the steps. The wrestlers sit on opposite sides of the porch, so shifting position a little in front of the hall lets you study each in turn. The eaves throw deep shadow; carving depth reads best when the sun is high.
The painted interior is normally closed. In December 2020 the shrine held a special viewing for tourists, with local guides explaining the ceiling paintings, according to the Akita Sakigake Shimpo. Openings like this are occasional, so contact the shrine in advance if you hope to see inside.
No official guidance on photography could be found; for interiors or ceremonies, ask the shrine first. Directions and general visiting conditions are on the Yoshizawa Shinmei Shrine page.
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Q&A
- When was Shinmei Shrine Haiheiden built and when was it registered?
- The worship hall was completed in 1867 and the offering hall was added in 1915. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 9 June 2004 (registration number 05-0110). Sources give either 1863 or 1867 as the year construction began.
- Who carved the decoration of Shinmei Shrine Haiheiden?
- The carver Ogawa Matsushirō. Subjects include dragons, lions, phoenixes, tigers among bamboo, hares on waves and chrysanthemums, and a pair of sumo wrestlers sits on the tie beams at the front.
- Who painted the ceiling of Shinmei Shrine Haiheiden?
- The ceiling panels are attributed to Tanigawa Tanzan, the wall paintings to Suzuki Baizan and the large votive plaques to Makino Sessen, all Kanō-school painters retained by the Honjō domain.
- Can visitors see inside Shinmei Shrine Haiheiden in Yurihonjo?
- Not normally. A special viewing for tourists was held in December 2020. If you want to see the interior, contact the shrine in advance.
- How is Shinmei Shrine Haiheiden laid out?
- A worship hall of 3 by 3 bays and an offering hall of 3 by 2 bays joined in a T-shape, copper-roofed, with a building area of 158 square metres. The front has a chidori-hafu gable over a porch with a bowed karahafu at the eaves.
Basic Information
| Name | Shinmei Shrine Haiheiden (神明社拝幣殿, Shinmeisha Haiheiden), worship hall and offering hall |
|---|---|
| Location | 42 Kamibayashi, Yoshizawa, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 05-0110; criterion: difficult to reproduce |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/06/09 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, copper-sheet roof; building area 158 square metres. Worship hall 3 by 3 bays; offering hall 3 by 2 bays |
| Owner | Shinmeisha (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Interior normally closed (special viewings have been held); exterior visible from within the precinct |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs / Shinmei Shrine Haiheiden
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004108
- Yurihonjo City official website / Shinmeisha (Registered Tangible Cultural Properties)
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/1001503/1002098/1002113/1002126/1003556.html
- Yurihonjo City / leaflet on Shinmeisha (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.yurihonjo.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/003/556/1003556_001.pdf
- Akita Prefectural Association of Shinto Shrines / Shinmeisha, Yoshizawa
- https://akita-jinjacho.sakura.ne.jp/shrine_search/%e7%a5%9e%e6%98%8e%e7%a4%be-44/
- Akita Sakigake Shimpo / special viewing at Yoshizawa Shinmeisha (17 December 2020)
- https://www.sakigake.jp/news/article/20201217AK0020/
Last verified: 2026.09.24
