A Hall Built to Be Vacated
The Kashima Shrine Temporary Hall (鹿島神宮仮殿, Kashima Jingū Kariden) stands in Miyanaka, Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture, was built in 1619, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on 20 May 1976. A kariden, also called a gonden, houses a shrine's deity for the period in which the main hall is being rebuilt.
Buildings of this kind normally lose their purpose when the scaffolding comes down. This one was never taken apart, and four centuries later it holds national protection in its own right.
The Genna rebuilding campaign began here. The deity was moved into the temporary hall first; the emptied old main hall was then hauled to the back of the precinct, and the new sanctuary rose on the cleared ground. Everything else depended on this building existing. The work was carried out by Suzuki Chōji, chief carpenter to the shogunate, the same man responsible for the main hall and the halls in front of it.
Sources disagree on the year. The Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education both give 1619; the shrine's own account dates the donation to 1618. The gap is a single year, and this article follows the national database.
Decided in Advance: How Far to Finish
The hall measures three bays by two, single-storeyed, with an Irimoya-zukuri roof, a one-bay Kōhai canopy, and Hiwadabuki roofing. It sits on ground sills with a veranda on all four sides. The Kumimono are of the three-block degumi type, Kaerumata fill the spaces between them, the eaves are double-layered with closely spaced Taruki, and all three front bays carry plank doors.
To this point nothing distinguishes it from a permanent sanctuary. The difference lies inside and in the detail. The interior is a single undivided room with no altar fittings. Lacquer and colour appear on the doors, the frog-leg struts, and the gable boards, and nowhere else; the rest of the timber is bare. Mouldings and carving are executed without their finer passages. The prefectural board reads these omissions as deliberate, made in awareness of what a temporary hall is for.
Calling it unfinished misses the point. Someone decided in advance how far the finish would go, and the line falls in a consistent place throughout. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the design as relatively plain yet orthodox in its architecture. Momoyama vigour survives in the details, layered under the sober manner of the early Edo period.
Three Times Moved
The Kashima Shrine Temporary Hall has not stood in one place. It was first put up in front of and to the left of the worship hall, facing west. It shifted position more than once after that, and in 1951 it was set down where it is now. The shrine records that during the Edo period it stood directly ahead of anyone entering through the tower gate. A building raised as a stopgap has survived by moving around the grounds it was meant to serve briefly.
Today it faces the buildings of the principal sanctuary across the approach. Come close to the three plank doors at the front and the logic of the finish becomes visible: lacquer and colour on the doors, bare wood on the posts and the veranda rail. The gable boards are treated the same way. Because the boundary between decorated and undecorated is so clean, a visitor can trace exactly where the carpenters spent their effort.
Its protection came late. The main hall and the tower gate at Kashima were listed well before it, and the temporary hall joined them only in 1976, last of the shrine's buildings to do so. The Reiwa restoration campaign that ran from 2020 to 2026 covered the offering hall, the worship hall, Okumiya, and the tower gate. The temporary hall was not part of it, so while the buildings around it carry new roofs and fresh paint, this one remains as it was.
Visiting
No gate or fence separates the shrine grounds from the street, so the front of the hall can be reached at any hour, and there is no admission charge. The interior is closed and viewing is from outside.
Photography is unrestricted. Tripods and drones should be cleared with the shrine office first. The amulet counter and the reception desk for prayer rituals run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The treasure hall has been closed since 2018.
From Kashima Jingū Station on the JR Kashima Line and the Ōarai Kashima Line it is a seven-minute walk to the tower gate, and about a minute more to the hall. The Kashima-gō highway bus from the Yaesu south exit of Tokyo Station takes roughly two hours and costs ¥2,100 one way. The first car park holds 60 cars at ¥500 per two hours between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on ordinary days. The ground here is level, and no steps stand between the entrance and the front of the building.
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Q&A
- What is the Kashima Shrine Temporary Hall?
- It is a sanctuary built to house the deity while the main hall is rebuilt, a type known as kariden or gonden. This one was put up in 1619 during the reconstruction of the present main hall and was designated an Important Cultural Property on 20 May 1976.
- Who built the Kashima Shrine Temporary Hall?
- It belongs to the rebuilding sponsored by the second shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, and the work was done by Suzuki Chōji, chief carpenter to the shogunate, who also built the main hall. The Agency for Cultural Affairs and the prefecture date it to 1619, while the shrine gives 1618.
- How does the Kashima Shrine Temporary Hall differ from a permanent main hall?
- From outside it looks like a full sanctuary: three bays by two, single-storeyed, hip-and-gable roof, one-bay canopy, cypress-bark roofing. Inside it is one undivided room with no altar, and lacquered colour is limited to the doors, frog-leg struts, and gable boards, with fine carving omitted.
- Where does the Kashima Shrine Temporary Hall stand today?
- It faces the principal sanctuary across the approach. It originally stood in front of and to the left of the worship hall, facing west, changed position more than once, and reached its present site in 1951.
- Can visitors see the Kashima Shrine Temporary Hall, and what are the hours?
- Yes, at any hour and at no charge, since the grounds have no gate or fence. The interior is not open, so viewing is from outside. The amulet counter and prayer reception run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the walk from Kashima Jingū Station takes about eight minutes.
Basic Information
| Name | Kashima Shrine Temporary Hall (鹿島神宮仮殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | Oaza Miyanaka, Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Structure), designation no. 01993 |
| Year Designated | 20 May 1976 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Three bays by two, single-storeyed, irimoya roof, one-bay canopy, cypress-bark roofing |
| Owner | Kashima Shrine |
| Public Access | Viewable from outside at any hour, no admission charge; interior not open |
References
- National Designated Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Kashima Jingu Kariden
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/255
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, Cultural Properties of Ibaraki: Kashima Jingu Kariden
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/kuni-23/
- Kashima City Digital Museum: Kashima Jingu Kariden
- https://www.city.kashima.ibaraki.jp/site/bunkazai/50119.html
- Kashima Jingu official site: Kariden
- https://kashimajingu.jp/keidai_annai/%E4%BB%AE%E6%AE%BF/
- Kashima Jingu official site: Frequently Asked Questions (hours and access)
- https://kashimajingu.jp/info/%e3%82%88%e3%81%8f%e3%81%82%e3%82%8b%e3%81%94%e8%b3%aa%e5%95%8f/
Last verified: 2026.09.05