Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Chiba

Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Kagura Hall

Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Kagura Hall, 1920

A 1920 kagura stage at a Noda soy brewer's household shrine, with a karahafu roof copied from the main hall and a carved tengu mask. Seen on the 10th of each month.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Chiba

The Youngest of the 18

The Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Kagura Hall (茂木七郎右衛門家住宅琴平神社神楽殿) in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, is the stage for sacred kagura dance at Kotohira Shrine, the household shrine of the Mogi Shichiroemon soy sauce brewers, built in 1920 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 27 March 2018. It is a one-storey timber building with a copper-sheet roof and a building area of 14 square metres.

It is the newest of the 18 structures registered on the estate. The main hall dates from 1872, so the kagura hall arrived nearly half a century later. Between them stands the plaque hall of 1896.

A Projecting Stage and a Green Room

The core is a small square of 1 by 1 Ken bay, with the floor extended forward and to the sides to form the stage. A Kōran railing with onion-shaped Giboshi finials runs round it, and a room for the performers is attached at the back.

Inside, the partition takes kagami-do panels painted with pines, the same device as the old pine painted at the back of a Noh stage, telling you at a glance that this is a place for performance. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a well-composed kagura hall.

A Roof Copied from the Main Hall, and a Tengu

Like the main hall, it has a forward-facing karahafu gable with a Teri-mukuri reverse curve and a gable-end entrance (Tsumairi). The Unoke-dōshi pendant board under the centre of the gable is carved with the face of a tengu, the long-nosed mountain spirit.

Chiba Prefecture attributes the main hall, kagura hall, plaque hall and water pavilion to the Tatekawa-school carpenters Satō Shōsuke Norihisa and Satoji Noritake. There are 48 years between the main hall and the kagura hall, yet choosing the same roof form gives the precinct a single character.

The registration number is 12-267, and it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.

Visiting

The precinct gate is normally shut. It opens for public worship on the 10th of every month, when the exterior of the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Kagura Hall can be seen.

Stand in front and look up at the tengu on the pendant board, then turn to the karahafu of the main hall: the two roofs are plainly built to the same pattern. The railing round the stage is easy to see from the front as well. No published guidance was found on opening hours or photography, so follow any notices on the day. Directions are on the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence page.

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Q&A

QWhen can I see the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Kagura Hall?: AKotohira Shrine opens for public worship on the 10th of every month, when the exterior of the kagura hall can be seen.

QWhen was the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Kagura Hall built?: AIn 1920. It is the newest of the 18 registered structures on the estate.

QWhat should I look for at the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Kagura Hall?: AThe karahafu roof matching the main hall, the tengu face carved on the pendant board, the railing with onion-shaped finials round the stage, and the pine-painted panels inside.

QHow big is the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Kagura Hall?: AIt has a building area of 14 square metres: a 1 by 1 bay core with the floor extended forward and to the sides as a stage.

QHow does the roof of the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Kagura Hall relate to the main hall?: AIt repeats the main hall's forward-facing karahafu with a reverse curve and gable-end entrance, nearly half a century later.

Basic Information

Name	Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Kagura Hall (茂木七郎右衛門家住宅琴平神社神楽殿)
Location	339 Noda, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 12-267, criterion: contributing to the historic landscape
Year Designated	Registered 2018/3/27 (Heisei 30)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Single-storey timber building, copper-sheet roof, building area 14 square metres, 1 by 1 bay
Owner	Kotohira Shrine (religious corporation)
Public Access	Precinct opens for public worship on the 10th of each month (exterior only)