About the Shrine
The Kabashima Family Residence Shrine (椛島家住宅社, Kabashima-ke Jūtaku Yashiro) in Nijotanaka, Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture, is a single-story timber shrine building of the late Meiji period (1898 to 1912), registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on May 2, 2017.
The Kabashima Family Residence Shrine stands northeast of the main house on a north-south axis, with a tiled roof and a building area of 5.5 square meters. Its register number is 40-0143. It is a shrine kept within the family grounds, with a still smaller shrine a little further to the northeast.
Outer Room and Inner Sanctuary
The building has a gabled pantile roof (Kirizuma-zukuri, Sangawara-buki) and is entered from the gable end (Tsumairi). Inside it is divided front and back: an inner sanctuary (Naijin) at the rear and an outer room (Gejin) at the front.
The outer room of the Kabashima Family Residence Shrine is made open and light, with sliding lattice doors across the front and windows on both sides. The inner sanctuary is closed off by walls of vertical boards (Tateita-bari). Light marks the line between where a worshipper stands and where the deity is kept.
Brackets and Frog-Leg Struts on the Gables
The detail to look for is on the gable ends. On each, bracket sets of 3 bearing blocks (Mitsudo-gumi) on the posts carry a rainbow beam (Kōryō), and above it sits a frog-leg strut (Kaerumata). A building of 5.5 square meters is framed with the same parts as a temple or public shrine.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Kabashima Family Residence Shrine as a shrine that shapes the landscape of the grounds, and it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency's entry for the small shrine adds that the two together guard the kimon, the northeast direction traditionally held to let in misfortune.
Seeing the Shrine
The Kabashima Family Residence Shrine is at the back of the estate, northeast of the main house. The official site does not say whether visitors can approach it on open days (checked September 28, 2026).
It remains a place of worship. If you do see it, stay outside the lattice of the outer room and ask the owners before taking photographs.
Q&A
- How do you pronounce Kabashima Family Residence Shrine in Japanese?
- Kabashima-ke Jūtaku Yashiro, following the furigana in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database.
- When was the Kabashima Family Residence Shrine built?
- In the late Meiji period (1898 to 1912). It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on May 2, 2017.
- What is inside the Kabashima Family Residence Shrine?
- Two rooms: a closed inner sanctuary with vertical-board walls at the back, and an open outer room with lattice doors and windows at the front.
- What should I look for on the Kabashima Family Residence Shrine?
- The gable ends, where bracket sets on the posts carry a rainbow beam topped by a frog-leg strut.
- How is the Kabashima Family Residence Shrine related to the small shrine?
- The small shrine stands to its northeast, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the pair as guarding the northeast of the estate.
Basic Information
| Name | Kabashima Family Residence Shrine (椛島家住宅社) |
|---|---|
| Location | 101 Otsuka, Nijotanaka, Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), register no. 40-0143 |
| Year Designated | Registered May 2, 2017 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-story timber building, tiled roof, building area 5.5 square meters |
| Owner | Kabashima family (private) |
| Public Access | Not open daily; opened during exhibitions held mainly in spring and autumn |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Kabashima Family Residence Shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011590
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kabashima Family Residence Shrine
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/222487
- Registered Tangible Cultural Property: Kabashima Family Residence (Itoshima City, in Japanese)
- https://www.city.itoshima.lg.jp/s033/010/020/010/190/20181004152257.html
- Registered Buildings (Kabashima Family Residence official site, in Japanese)
- https://kabashimake.com/buildings/
- Kabashima Family Residence official site (in Japanese)
- https://kabashimake.com/
Last verified: 2026.09.27
