Kasami Shrine Offering Hall

What is the Kasami Shrine Offering Hall?

The Kasami Shrine Offering Hall (加佐美神社幣殿, Kasami Jinja Heiden) in Sohara Furuichiba-cho, Kakamigahara City, Gifu Prefecture, is a shrine hall built in 1910 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on April 18, 2008.

An offering hall (heiden) is where offerings to the deity are presented, and it usually sits between the sanctuary and the worship hall. The Kasami Shrine Offering Hall stands directly in front of the Main Hall of 1687, with the Worship Hall of 1746 set one level lower to the south. It is a single-storey timber building covering 50 square meters, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs gives its size as 11 meters across the front and 5.1 meters deep.

Of the three registered buildings at Kasami Shrine, this is the youngest, a late Meiji addition placed between two Edo-period halls.

Why the Kasami Shrine Offering Hall was registered

The Kasami Shrine Offering Hall was entered in the 59th round of registration as number 21-0158, for its contribution to the historic landscape.

The roof is a simple gable (Kirizuma-zukuri) covered in pantiles (Sangawara-buki). Over the middle of the three front bays, however, the roof is lifted so that the ridge steps up. That raised center makes it easy to see, even from a distance, exactly where the axis of the sanctuary lies.

The Agency describes the building as one that sets a solemn place of worship in front of the Main Hall. It is not heavily decorated. The raised and recessed center does the work, pointing the visitor toward the sanctuary through the shape of the building itself.

What to look for at the Kasami Shrine Offering Hall

Standing in front, you will notice that the central bay is set back by about 1 meter. It is closed with sliding lattice doors, while the two side bays are filled with fixed lattice panels that do not open. The same lattice pattern runs across the front, but only the middle can actually be opened.

Look at the tops of the posts as well. Only the posts of the central bay carry boat-shaped bracket arms (Funahijiki) under the beam; the side posts have none. The difference is small but marks the middle bay as the one that matters.

For the roof, take a few paces back from the front. From there the step in the ridge between the raised center and the lower side roofs is easier to read.

Seeing the Kasami Shrine Offering Hall

The Kasami Shrine Offering Hall stands behind the Worship Hall and in front of the Main Hall, and its front can be seen through the open sides of the Worship Hall. Neither the shrine nor Kakamigahara City announces any interior viewing, so expect to pay your respects from outside the lattice doors.

No published rules on photography were found. Please refrain from taking pictures during prayers and ceremonies. Directions and visiting information are on the Kasami Shrine page.