Goto Family Residence Jizo Shelter

A tiny shrine for Jizo by the road

The Goto Family Residence Jizo Shelter (後藤家住宅地蔵覆屋) in Akutami, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, is a miniature shrine building housing a figure of Jizo on the Goto family's property, built in the early Meiji era (between 1868 and 1882), moved to its present spot in 1965, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021 (number 21-0291).

The Goto Family Residence Jizo Shelter stands near the south end of the compound's east side, southeast of the former post office. With a building area of 0.4 m², it is the smallest of the 6 registered buildings. Jizo is the bodhisattva who watches over travellers and children, and small roadside shrines to him are a familiar sight across Japan. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes this one as a small shrine (Hokora) of careful workmanship.

Temple joinery in miniature

The Goto Family Residence Jizo Shelter has a gabled, pantiled roof (Sangawara-buki) with its entrance on the gable end (Tsumairi). It rests on a single stone, levelled flat on top, on which a timber sill is laid in a hash-shaped grid, and square posts rise from that.

Across the front posts runs a head tie shaped like a curved Kōryō beam, topped by bracket blocks. Between the posts, the central decorative block is a frog-leg kaerumata strut. Members that on a full-size shrine would be far overhead are here packed into a structure of 0.4 m².

The front is left open, the sides are fitted with vertical lattices and the back is boarded, so the figure inside can be seen from the front while the rest is enclosed.

What to look for

The interest of the Goto Family Residence Jizo Shelter lies in the precision of its tiny frame. The curve of the head tie and the stacked bracket blocks and kaerumata are details you would normally crane your neck to see; here they sit roughly at eye level.

The Goto Family Residence Jizo Shelter was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. After being moved, it now occupies a corner of the compound's street front.

Visiting

The Goto Family Residence Jizo Shelter stands on the east side of the property and should be visible from the road. It is on private land, so please view it from the street without entering.

The story of the compound, what can be seen from the road and directions are on the Goto Family Residence page.