A Temple Hall Turned Worship Hall
The Iwakiyama Shrine Worship Hall (岩木山神社拝殿) is a five-bay hall built as the great hall of Hyakutakuji temple, which became the worship hall of Iwakiyama Shrine after the separation of Shinto and Buddhism of begun in 1603 in Hyakuzawa, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on April 23, 1908 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey hall five bays square with a hip-and-gable roof, a front gable, a one-bay porch and copper sheeting in shingle form; designation number 00492.
The 1908 date in the Agency record is that of its designation under the former law.
The Great Hall of Hyakutakuji
The worship hall of Iwakiyama Shrine in Hyakuzawa, Hirosaki City, Aomori, was built as the great hall of Hyakutakuji, the temple that once ran the shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency record gives 1603 as its date and its commentary 1640. According to the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education, it was begun in 1603 by Tsugaru Tamenobu, founder of the Hirosaki domain, largely completed under the third lord Nobuyoshi, and dedicated in 1640.
It is a single-storey hall five bays square with a hip-and-gable roof, a triangular gable and a one-bay porch at the front, roofed in copper sheeting shaped like shingles (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Board of Education, it became the shrine's worship hall when Shinto and Buddhism were separated in the early Meiji era, and its altar platform and shrine cabinet were removed, though the interior keeps the air of an esoteric Buddhist main hall.
Why It Is an Important Cultural Property
The Agency record has no commentary; the date, 1603, and its form, a five-bay hip-and-gable hall with a front gable, porch and copper shingle-form roof, set out what was designated.
What to Look For
At the worship hall, look for the vermilion five-bay hall with its front gable, and an interior planned as a temple main hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Aomori Board of Education).
Visiting
The hall is owned by Iwakiyama Shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization, the shrine is about 40 minutes by bus from JR Hirosaki Station.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- Begun in 1603, dedicated in 1640.
- What was it first?
- The great hall of Hyakutakuji.
- Why a worship hall?
- The Meiji separation of faiths.
- When was it designated?
- In 1908, under the former law.
- When was the Iwakiyama Shrine Worship Hall designated an Important Cultural Property?
- On April 23, 1908 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Iwakiyama Shrine Worship Hall (岩木山神社拝殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 27 Terasawa, Hyakuzawa, Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1908/04/23 (Meiji 41) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 5 bays by 5 bays, single storey, hip-and-gable roof, front gable, one-bay porch, copper sheeting in shingle form |
| Owner | Iwakiyama Shrine |
| Public Access | About 40 minutes by bus from JR Hirosaki Station (Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization) |
References
- Iwakiyama Shrine Worship Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/80
- 岩木山神社拝殿 (Aomori Prefectural Board of Education, in Japanese)
- https://www.pref.aomori.lg.jp/soshiki/kyoiku/e-bunka/jubun_kenzoubutu_3.html
- Iwakiyama Shrine (Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization, in Japanese)
- https://www.tohokukanko.jp/attractions/detail_1226.html
Last verified: 2026.11.12
