Nagata Shrine Hachiman Shrine

A Tiny Shrine West of the Main Hall

The Nagata Shrine Hachiman Shrine (長田神社八幡社, Nagata Jinja Hachimansha) is a small single-bay nagare-style shrine built in 1928 inside the lattice wall west of the main hall of Nagata Shrine in Nagata-cho, Nagata Ward, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002.

It enshrines Emperor Ōjin, worshipped as Hachiman, whom the shrine presents as a deity who wards off misfortune. Inside the fence around the main hall, Nagata Shrine keeps the Amaterasu shrine on the east and the Hachiman shrine on the west, so the Nagata Shrine Hachiman Shrine forms a pair with the Amaterasu Shrine across the main hall.

The national record lists a timber building with a copper roof and a building area of 1.0 square meter: 2 shaku 7 sun (about 82 centimeters) across, 2 shaku 2 sun (about 67 centimeters) deep, with a front canopy 1 shaku 8 sun (about 55 centimeters) deep. It is registration number 28-0083.

Why the Hachiman Shrine Was Registered

The Nagata Shrine Hachiman Shrine was registered under the criterion for buildings that serve as a model of design. Tiny as it is, it has every element of a full-scale shrine building.

According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it stands on a base of three courses of cut stone and takes the single-bay nagare-zukuri form, with a copper roof, closely spaced single-tier rafters and vermilion-lacquered woodwork. It matches the Amaterasu Shrine to the east in size and form, and the Agency says the two together are the main elements of the sacred space within the lattice wall.

It belongs to the 1928 rebuilding that followed the fire of 1924, the same campaign that produced the main hall, offering hall and worship hall. That even the small shrines flanking the main hall were designed as part of one scheme is plain in the Nagata Shrine Hachiman Shrine.

What to Look For

A front less than a meter wide carries a nagare roof that sweeps forward over the steps. Canopy posts, finely spaced rafters and vermilion woodwork make it look like the main hall in miniature, and nothing has been skimped for its size.

Compare it with the Amaterasu Shrine. The Agency's descriptions show the two matching in size, roof and eaves, set symmetrically east and west of the main hall. The arrangement itself records the order the 1928 rebuilding gave the inner precinct.

Seeing the Hachiman Shrine

The Nagata Shrine Hachiman Shrine stands inside the lattice wall, where ordinary worshippers may not enter. There is no fee; from in front of the worship hall, look toward the main hall and search the west side through the lattice. Because the shrine is small and sits behind the wall, the viewing angles are limited.

Please refrain from photography during ceremonies and prayers. Visiting hours and prayer services are covered on the Nagata Shrine page.