Nagata Shrine Izumo Taisha Shrine

An Edo-period shrine to Kotoshironushi's father

Nagata Shrine Izumo Taisha Shrine (長田神社出雲大社, Nagata Jinja Izumo Taisha) is a late Edo-period subsidiary shrine west of the West Gakujo at Nagata Shrine in Nagatacho, Nagata Ward, Kobe, moved to its present site in 1928 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002. It is a one-bay Nagare-zukuri shrine with a copper roof and a building area of 1.1 square meters.

Despite the registered name, it is not the great Izumo Taisha in Shimane; the shrine calls it simply Izumo-sha. It honors Okuninushi, father of Nagata's main deity Kotoshironushi, who in the myth of the land's transfer worked with his son to unify the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period (1751 to 1829), and it was one of the small shrines that escaped the 1924 fire.

Why the Nagata Shrine Izumo Taisha Shrine was registered

Registered as a model of form under number 28-0085, the Nagata Shrine Izumo Taisha Shrine stands on a stone platform within a low fence. It is 2 shaku 4 sun wide but 3 shaku 3 sun deep, deeper than it is wide. Like the Tsukuyomi Shrine it has double eaves with closely spaced rafters and a railing on three sides; unlike the other surviving shrines, it carries Chigi and Katsuogi on its ridge, as the main hall does. Its timber was painted red to match the worship hall.

What to look for at the Nagata Shrine Izumo Taisha Shrine

Look up at the ridge: crossed chigi and short katsuogi logs crown this small shrine. From the side, the deep plan is obvious. Immediately south, the Hiruko Shrine faces east beside it, and across the worship hall the Tsukuyomi and Matsuo shrines face back, so the four survivors of the fire flank the worship hall in pairs.

Visiting the Nagata Shrine Izumo Taisha Shrine

You can pray at the Nagata Shrine Izumo Taisha Shrine from outside its fence and view the exterior freely; the interior is not open. The shrine holds its festival on May 14. Access and general visiting details are on the Nagata Shrine page.