A Plain House for the Portable Shrine
Shinmei Shrine Mikoshi Hall (神明社神輿殿, Shinmeisha Mikoshiden) is the storehouse for the portable shrine of Yoshizawa Shinmei Shrine in Yoshizawa, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture; it was built in 1908 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 12 July 2005.
A mikoshi is the palanquin in which a deity is carried out of its shrine at festival time, and a mikoshi hall is where it waits between outings. This one stands to the front left of the Main Hall with its face turned to the approach, set off to the side of the line of worship hall, offering hall and sanctuary that forms the spine of the precinct.
It measures 13 shaku by 10 and a half shaku (the shaku is the traditional foot, a little under a third of a metre), with a gabled roof entered from the gable end in the Tsumairi manner, clad in sheet iron. The building area is 16 square metres. A Geya lean-to 4 shaku deep, under a single-pitch roof, is attached at the back. The date places it between the completion of the worship hall in 1867 and the new Main Hall of 1915.
Registered for Its Restraint
A short flight of steps leads up to the front, where four panelled doors of the sankarado type fill the opening. The walls are clad in sasara-ko shitami-ita, overlapping horizontal weatherboards held by vertical battens notched to fit their stepped profile. There is almost no ornament.
Yurihonjo City describes the Shinmei Shrine Mikoshi Hall as very simple in construction yet a good example of what a modern mikoshi hall looked like. It was registered as contributing to the historic landscape. Set beside the heavily carved and painted worship hall, a plain board-clad storehouse gives the group of buildings a useful counterweight.
Four doors across the full width make a wide opening, which suits a building that has to let a palanquin in and out. The rear lean-to presumably adds storage for festival equipment, though no source states its purpose.
Seeing the Mikoshi Hall
Because the Shinmei Shrine Mikoshi Hall faces the approach from its position to the front left of the Main Hall, its steps and four doors are in view as you walk toward the shrine buildings. The evenly spaced vertical battens on its walls show their relief best under raking light.
The interior is a store for the portable shrine and is not open. The shrine's annual festival falls on 15 April, but official sources do not say if the mikoshi is carried in procession.
No official guidance on photography could be found; if you plan to photograph during a festival, check with the shrine. Directions and general visiting conditions are on the Yoshizawa Shinmei Shrine page.
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Q&A
- When was Shinmei Shrine Mikoshi Hall built and when was it registered?
- It was built in 1908 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 12 July 2005 (registration number 05-0120).
- What is Shinmei Shrine Mikoshi Hall used for?
- It houses the mikoshi, the portable shrine in which the deity is carried during festivals. The interior is not open to visitors.
- How large is Shinmei Shrine Mikoshi Hall in Yurihonjo?
- 13 shaku by 10 and a half shaku, with a building area of 16 square metres and a lean-to 4 shaku deep at the back. It is a single-storey timber building with a sheet-iron gabled roof.
- What should visitors look for at Shinmei Shrine Mikoshi Hall?
- The four panelled doors across the front and the weatherboard walls held by vertical notched battens. The city describes it as a good example of a modern mikoshi hall despite its simplicity.
- Where is Shinmei Shrine Mikoshi Hall located in the precinct?
- To the front left of the Main Hall, facing the approach, beside the line of worship hall, offering hall and Main Hall.
Basic Information
| Name | Shinmei Shrine Mikoshi Hall (神明社神輿殿, Shinmeisha Mikoshiden) |
|---|---|
| Location | 42 Kamibayashi, Yoshizawa, Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 05-0120; criterion: contributing to the historic landscape |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/07/12 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, sheet-iron roof; building area 16 square metres; 13 shaku by 10 and a half shaku, with a 4 shaku lean-to at the rear |
| Owner | Shinmeisha (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Interior closed; exterior visible from within the precinct |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs / Shinmei Shrine Mikoshi Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004691
- Cultural Heritage Online / Shinmeisha Mikoshiden
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/141961
- 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/
Last verified: 2026.09.24
