What the Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas Are
The Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas (大山祇神社宝篋印塔, also written Ōyamazumi Jinja Hōkyōintō) are three late Kamakura period granite stone pagodas at Miyaura on the island of Omishima in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, designated an Important Cultural Property on 22 November 1952. The Agency for Cultural Affairs national database places them between 1275 and 1332 and records the structure simply as stone hokyointo. In the ledger they appear as entries (1), (2) and (3), one pagoda each, and the three together make up a single designation.
A hokyointo began as a reliquary tower built to hold a specific Buddhist text, the Hokyoin dharani, and later became a common form for memorial and grave markers across Japan. From the ground up it stacks a base, a body block, a cap and a finial. The most recognisable feature is the cap: four spurs rise from its corners, angled outward like blunt horns. All three of the Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas retain this full sequence, and they stand in a row in the shrine precinct.
Omishima sits near the middle of the Seto Inland Sea, partway along the Shimanami Kaido that links Imabari in Shikoku with Onomichi in Honshu. For moving stone, and for moving the people who cut it, this water was a road rather than a barrier. The three pagodas stand at a shrine on the island that commanded that route.
Why They Are an Important Cultural Property
According to the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education, the central pagoda is the largest of the three, standing a little over 394 centimetres in total height. Lotus petals are carved below the base and in two tiers above it, three tiers in all, and the receiving-flower element near the top of the finial hangs downward instead of opening upward, an inversion the prefectural description singles out as unusual. The two flanking pagodas are somewhat smaller, and the one on the left is described as the plainest of the three. Different in scale and in the density of their carving, all three are well proportioned, and their style and technique are consistently those of the Kamakura period. That three contemporary stone pagodas of differing workmanship survive together in one place is the heart of the Important Cultural Property listing.
The second thread is an inscription. Writing for the Agency for Cultural Affairs Japan Heritage portal, the Imabari City Cultural Promotion Division records that this large late Kamakura pagoda carries the carved name of Nenshin, a mason from Onomichi. Onomichi is the port on the far shore, on the Honshu side of the strait. A mason's name crossing that water has been read as evidence that craftsmen moved routinely between the northern and southern sides of the Geiyo islands. The Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas are counted among the component properties of the Japan Heritage story built around the archipelago as the base of Japan's largest pirate band.
As for who had them built, tradition connects them to Ippen, the priest who founded the Ji sect of Pure Land Buddhism. That link is handed down rather than documented, and no contemporary record confirming the circumstances of each pagoda has been identified.
Comparing the Three
The reward here comes from the fact that there are three of them side by side. A single stone pagoda gives you no yardstick: you cannot tell whether it is large or small, careful or plain. Standing in front of these, looking from centre to right to left, you can see what a late Kamakura mason chose to vary and what he left alone.
On the central pagoda, count the lotus tiers. One sits below the base and two above, three in total. The carving survives at a height you can look at closely, so the coarse grain of the granite and the surviving tool marks are legible from a step away.
Then follow the finial upward. Normally the receiving flower opens like a cup. On the central pagoda it hangs inverted. This is the detail the prefectural account calls unusual, and photographs tend to flatten it. You notice it standing underneath.
The pagoda at the left end carries the least decoration. Shallow cutting, simple outlines, and as a result the mass of the stone itself comes forward. Walking along the row deciding which of the three you prefer is a way of noticing that a set of seven-hundred-year-old choices is still sitting there in front of you. You can look for the inscription too, though the surfaces are badly weathered and following the characters with the naked eye is not easy.
Visiting
The pagodas stand outdoors in the shrine precinct, not behind glass. They can be seen on the same terms as any visit to the shrine, and there is no charge to see the Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas. The shrine gives its opening hours as around sunrise to 5:00 p.m., so plan within that window. Stone reads differently by the hour: the shadows thrown by the corner spurs are long in the early morning and again late in the day.
On photography, the shrine's official website carries no prohibition on taking pictures in the precinct, as checked on 4 September 2026. Avoid shooting during rituals and festivals, follow the notices posted inside the treasure hall, and do not climb on or lean against the stonework.
By public transport, take a Setouchi Bus limited express or a Setonaikai Kotsu express from in front of Imabari Station, about 65 minutes to the Oyamazumi Jinja stop. From the Honshu side, ride the Shimanami Liner to the Omishima bus stop and change to a Setonaikai Kotsu bus for Miyaura Port, about 12 minutes. By car it is roughly 10 minutes from the Omishima interchange. The shrine has no car park of its own; the nearest is the free municipal Fuji Park car park, with 50 spaces.
The precinct also holds the shrine's treasure hall, where the armour and swords presented here over the centuries are shown together. It opens from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., last entry 4:30 p.m., and closes no day of the year. Admission is 1,000 yen for adults, 800 yen for university and high school students, and 400 yen for junior high and elementary school students. Allow an hour to an hour and a half for the pagodas, the shrine halls and the treasure hall together.
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Questions and Answers
- Can you see the Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas, and what are the hours and fee?
- Yes. They stand outdoors in the precinct and can be viewed freely at no charge. The gates are open from around sunrise to 5:00 p.m., so visit within that window.
- How many Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas are there, and how old are they?
- There are three. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database dates them to the late Kamakura period, between 1275 and 1332. They were designated an Important Cultural Property on 22 November 1952 as a single listing covering all three.
- How tall are the Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas?
- The central one is the tallest, given by the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education as a little over 394 centimetres in total height. The two on either side are somewhat smaller.
- Do the Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas carry an inscription?
- The Imabari City Cultural Promotion Division, writing on the Agency for Cultural Affairs Japan Heritage portal, records a carved inscription naming Nenshin, a mason from Onomichi across the strait. The surfaces are heavily weathered, so expect it to be hard to read on site.
- How do you get to the Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas, and which is the nearest bus stop?
- The nearest stop is Oyamazumi Jinja. From in front of Imabari Station it is about 65 minutes by Setouchi Bus limited express or Setonaikai Kotsu express. From Honshu, take the Shimanami Liner to the Omishima bus stop and change to a Miyaura Port bus, about 12 minutes. Driving takes roughly 10 minutes from the Omishima interchange, with free parking at the municipal Fuji Park car park.
Basic Information
| Name | Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo Pagodas |
|---|---|
| Location | 3327 Miyaura, Omishima-cho, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | 22 November 1952 |
| Quantity | 3 pagodas |
| Dimensions | Central pagoda a little over 394 centimetres in total height; the two flanking pagodas slightly smaller. Granite |
| Owner | Oyamazumi Shrine |
| Public Access | Open. Standing outdoors in the precinct, viewable from around sunrise to 5:00 p.m. at no charge |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo (1) (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/3389
- National Cultural Properties Database, Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo (2) (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/3390
- National Cultural Properties Database, Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo (3) (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/3391
- Cultural Heritage Online, Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo (1) (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/187536
- Ehime no Takara, Oyamazumi Shrine Hokyointo (Ehime Prefectural Board of Education)
- https://www.pref.ehime.jp/ehimenotakara/74.html
- Japan Heritage Portal, Cultural Properties of Oyamazumi Shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs / Imabari City Cultural Promotion Division)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/2496/
- Cultural Properties of the Omishima District (Imabari City Cultural Promotion Division)
- https://www.city.imabari.ehime.jp/bunka/bunkazai/bunkazai/omisima.html
- Worship and Prayer Rituals (Oyamazumi Shrine official site)
- https://oomishimagu.jp/worship/worship01/
- Oyamazumi Shrine Treasure Hall (Imabari City tourism information)
- https://www.city.imabari.ehime.jp/kanko/spot/?a=228
Last verified: 2026.09.03
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