The Household God in the North-West Corner
The Mogi Honke Residence Inari Shrine (茂木本家住宅稲荷神社, Mogi Honke Jūtaku Inari Jinja) in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, is the household shrine of the Mogi Shichizaemon soy sauce brewing family, a small earthen sanctuary built in 1808 in the north-west corner of their estate and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 15 January 2010. With its water pavilion, it is the oldest of the 13 registered structures.
The shrine stands in its own enclosure and is dedicated to Inari, the deity of rice and prosperity whose messengers are foxes. A brick wall follows the road around the north and east of the enclosure. Even the address is different from the rest of the house: lot 242-10 rather than 242-15.
Most of the estate, the main house included, was built in 1926. The Mogi Honke Residence Inari Shrine is 118 years older, an Edo-period building that the family kept when the rest of the house was rebuilt around it.
An Earthen Sanctuary with Plaster Foxes
The sanctuary is a tiny Dozo-zukuri building, 2.7 metres by 2.1 metres, with a building area of 5.8 square metres. Its Kirizuma-zukuri roof is laid with Sangawara-buki pantiles, and it is entered from the gable end, the arrangement called Tsumairi.
The walls are finished in Shikkui lime plaster, and on the front a jewel and guardian foxes are modelled in relief as Kote-e plasterwork. The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the care of the work.
Inside is a board floor under a Saobuchi-tenjō batten ceiling. Toward the back, a raised platform holds a miniature shrine cabinet in the three-bay Nagare-zukuri style: a shrine within a shrine, the small ornate cabinet sheltered by the plain fireproof walls around it.
Visiting
This is a family's private household shrine, and no information on public worship or opening has been found. What you can see from the street is the brick wall around it; how much of the shrine itself shows above the wall has not been confirmed.
Please do not photograph through gaps in the gate or fence into the house. Directions are on the Mogi Honke Residence page.
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Q&A
- Can I worship at the Mogi Honke Residence Inari Shrine?
- No public opening or worship has been announced. It is a private household shrine, and what can be seen from the road is the brick wall around it.
- When was the Mogi Honke Residence Inari Shrine built?
- In 1808, 118 years before the 1926 main house. With its water pavilion, it is the oldest of the estate's 13 registered structures.
- How is the Mogi Honke Residence Inari Shrine built?
- It is an earthen sanctuary of 2.7 metres by 2.1 metres with a pantiled gable roof, entered from the gable end. Inside is a three-bay nagare-zukuri shrine cabinet.
- What decorates the front of the Mogi Honke Residence Inari Shrine?
- A jewel and guardian foxes modelled in plaster relief on the white walls.
- Where is the Mogi Honke Residence Inari Shrine?
- In its own enclosure in the north-west corner of the estate, with a brick wall along the road on its north and east sides.
Basic Information
| Name | Mogi Honke Residence Inari Shrine (茂木本家住宅稲荷神社) |
|---|---|
| Location | 242-10 Higashishitamachi, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building); registration no. 12-0136; criterion: contributing to the historic landscape of the nation |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010/1/15 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Earthen construction, single storey, tiled roof, building area 5.8 square metres, 2.7 metres by 2.1 metres |
| Owner | Private individual |
| Public Access | Not open (private household shrine; no public opening announced) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Mogi Honke Residence Inari Shrine
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007967
- Chiba Prefecture: Mogi Honke Residence Main House and other structures
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-021.html
- Noda City: Mogi Honke Residence
- https://www.city.noda.chiba.jp/kurashi/kyoiku/bunka/1000585/1000591.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26
