A Tiny Sanctuary Under a Curved Gable
The Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Main Hall (茂木七郎右衛門家住宅琴平神社本殿) in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, is the main sanctuary of Kotohira Shrine, the household shrine of the Mogi Shichiroemon soy sauce brewers, built in 1872 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 just 4.0 square metres.
It stands in the precinct next to the house, facing south. Chiba Prefecture records that the second-generation Mogi Shichiroemon brought a branch of the deity from Kotohira-gū in Sanuki in 1789; the present sanctuary followed more than 80 years later, in 1872.
It measures 2 by 1 Ken bays. The front bay is left open, without walls or doors, and the deity's seat is housed behind it.
A Karahafu Roof
The roof is the first thing you notice. Its gable end faces forward as a karahafu, a bow-shaped gable that swells in the centre and flicks up at both ends, with a Teri-mukuri reverse curve. Because the entrance is on the gable end (Tsumairi), the curve of the karahafu becomes the outline of the building seen from the front. Chiba Prefecture identifies this roof as the hall's defining feature.
The same roof reappears on the kagura hall of 1920, again a forward-facing karahafu with a reverse curve and a gable-end entrance. It is fair to say the main hall set the pattern for a building raised nearly half a century later.
Tatekawa School Carving
Beneath the eaves the surfaces are crowded with carving; the Agency for Cultural Affairs uses a word meaning filled to overflowing. The head tie-beams over the posts are shaped as Kōryō rainbow beams and rest on Mochiokuri brackets carved in deep, three-dimensional relief with wave patterns. Openwork Sukashibori fills the spaces between the posts, and boarded Shirin panels line the underside of the eaves.
On the sides are Oigata carved side panels, and beneath the centre of the karahafu hangs an Unoke-dōshi pendant board. All of these exist to carry carving, so the small building's exterior is almost entirely sculpted.
Chiba Prefecture attributes the main hall, kagura hall, plaque hall and water pavilion to the Tatekawa-school shrine carpenters Satō Shōsuke Norihisa and Satoji Noritake. The Agency describes the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Main Hall as a modern shrine building that shows off the skill of Tatekawa carpenters. Its registration number is 12-266, 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, and that is the day to see the exterior. The interior is not open.
To look at the carving, start at the front with the karahafu and its pendant board, then walk round to the sides to compare the oigata panels and the wave-carved brackets. Because the building covers only 4.0 square metres, much of the work sits close to eye level. 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
- When can I visit the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Main Hall?
- Kotohira Shrine opens for public worship on the 10th of every month, when the exterior of the main hall can be seen. The interior is not open.
- When was the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Main Hall built?
- In 1872. The shrine itself is said to have been founded in 1789 as a branch of Kotohira-gū in Sanuki.
- Who built the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Main Hall?
- According to Chiba Prefecture, the Tatekawa-school shrine carpenters Satō Shōsuke Norihisa and Satoji Noritake.
- What should I look for at the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Main Hall?
- The forward-facing karahafu roof with its reverse curve, and the carving under the eaves: wave-carved brackets, openwork panels, oigata side panels and the pendant board under the gable.
- Which way does the Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Main Hall face?
- South, in the precinct next to the house. The water pavilion is to its southeast, the plaque hall toward the kagura hall, and the shrine storehouse to the west.
Basic Information
| Name | Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Kotohira Shrine Main Hall (茂木七郎右衛門家住宅琴平神社本殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 339 Noda, Noda City, Chiba Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 12-266, 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 4.0 square metres, 2 by 1 bays |
| Owner | Kotohira Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Precinct opens for public worship on the 10th of each month (exterior only) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): 茂木七郎右衛門家住宅琴平神社本殿
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012121
- Cultural Heritage Online: 茂木七郎右衛門家住宅琴平神社本殿 (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/436660
- Chiba Prefecture: Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence Main House and Others (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/q111-103.html
- Noda City: Mogi Shichiroemon Family Residence (Japanese)
- https://www.city.noda.chiba.jp/kurashi/kyoiku/bunka/1000585/1017161.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
