Enuma Shrine Takekaki Hall

An Aristocratic Country Residence

The Chikkeikan was constructed in 1900 as the country home (kunimoto bettei) of Maeda Toshika (1841–1920), the fourteenth and final daimyō of the Daishōji Domain. After the Meiji Restoration ended the feudal system, Toshika—elevated to the rank of viscount under the new peerage—served at court as a chamberlain, a poetry advisor at the Imperial Poetry Bureau, and a member of the House of Peers. While he made his primary residence in Tokyo, he retained deep ties to the former domain his ancestors had governed for over two centuries, and the Chikkeikan was built as the elegant countryside seat from which he could entertain guests on his returns to Kaga.

The building originally stood in the Mimiyama-machi district of Daishōji. Around 1966 it was carefully dismantled and moved to its current position within Enuma Shrine, where it now stands near the entrance of the precinct, facing the gravel approach (sandō). Together with the older Chōryūtei riverside pavilion and the relocated Baikaan tea cottage, it forms a remarkable cluster of historic buildings preserved on a single sacred site.

A Bridge Between Edo and Modern Japan

Most surviving daimyō residences in Japan date to the Edo period; far fewer examples remain from the immediate post-Restoration decades, when former lords were rebuilding their identities as members of the new peerage. The Chikkeikan, completed in 1900, captures this transitional moment. Its formal reception spaces follow the conventions of a feudal lord's residence—an upper-rank hall, a great hall, tatami corridors—yet the building was created not for the political business of governance but for the cultivated leisure of a viscount returning to the lands of his ancestors.

Quality of Craftsmanship and Spatial Composition

The two-story timber structure, capped with a hipped, ridge-tiled roof in pantile (yosemune-zukuri sangawara-buki), demonstrates the skill of late-Meiji carpenters working in a sukiya-influenced tradition. Its plan—anchored by a north–south oriented main block, with a single-story wing roofed in gable form and entered through a stately irimoya-style entrance porch (shikidai)—reflects the established hierarchy of guest reception in samurai domestic architecture, and survives essentially intact.

The Roofscape and Eaves

The complex roofline tells the story of the building's interior hierarchy. The dominant two-story hipped roof shelters the principal halls, while the lower gable-roofed wing extending to the northwest signals the ceremonial entrance, marked by the elegant irimoya gable of the shikidai porch. The transition between these forms is one of the most photogenic exterior features.

Formal Interior Plan (Visible by Special Arrangement)

Inside, the Chikkeikan preserves the canonical layout of a high-status reception hall: a jōdan-no-ma (upper-rank chamber) with a tokonoma alcove and adjacent toko-waki shelving, opening onto a generous ōhiroma (great hall) so that the two function together as an extended audience space. A continuous tatami corridor (tatami-rōka) and a broad wooden engawa-style veranda (hiroen) wrap the eastern face, allowing the interior to be opened to the garden in warmer months. This arrangement was reserved for the most formal hospitality.

Setting Within the Shrine Precinct

The Chikkeikan does not stand in isolation. It is one of three nationally registered historic buildings within Enuma Shrine, alongside the Chōryūtei riverside pavilion (an Important Cultural Property of 1709) and the Baikaan tea cottage. Walking the gravel paths between them, visitors can experience three distinct moods of samurai-era architecture in a single quiet garden.

Getting There

Enuma Shrine is located in the heart of the former castle town of Daishōji, easily reached from either Kaga Onsen Station or IR Daishōji Station on the IR Ishikawa Railway. From IR Daishōji Station, the shrine is approximately 1.5 kilometers on foot, a pleasant walk through the surviving lanes of the old castle town. Drivers can use the Kaga IC of the Hokuriku Expressway, about ten minutes by car. A small visitors' parking area is available within the shrine precincts.

When to Visit

Mid-November is one of the most rewarding times of year, when the maples around the historic buildings turn brilliant red and gold. Spring brings plum blossoms, fitting for a shrine that enshrines Sugawara no Michizane. The early morning hours, before other visitors arrive, are particularly atmospheric for photography and quiet reflection.

Respectful Conduct

Because the Chikkeikan and surrounding buildings are working religious property and protected cultural assets, visitors are asked not to touch the timber surfaces, climb onto the verandas, or enter areas separated by ropes. The shrine remains an active place of worship; brief observance of customary courtesies at the main hall is welcomed.

Chōryūtei (Important Cultural Property)

Built in 1709 by Maeda Toshinao, the third lord of Daishōji, this small riverside pavilion was designed for tea gatherings and quiet entertainment. With its open-pillar (shihashira) construction and elaborate decorative joinery, it ranks among the most accomplished examples of mid-Edo lordly leisure architecture. Interior visits are by reservation through the Enuma Shrine office.

Old Daishōji Domain Garden

Surrounding the historic buildings, the former Daishōji domain garden is a chisen-kaiyū-shiki (pond-and-stroll style) garden said to have been influenced by Kenrokuen in Kanazawa. Its central Hisago Pond, eight-plank zigzag bridge, and natural spring among arranged stones make it a designated Place of Scenic Beauty of Kaga City.

Daishōji Castle Ruins

A short walk from the shrine, the wooded hill of Daishōji Castle preserves earthworks from a fortress that played a role in the Sengoku-period struggles for control of Kaga Province. After being decommissioned by the one-castle-per-province edict of 1615, the site became a protected forest, and its earthen ramparts remain remarkably intact today.

Kaga Onsen Villages

Just a few kilometers from Daishōji lie the famous hot-spring villages of Yamashiro and Yamanaka, both with traditions stretching back over a millennium. They make a natural pairing with a half-day of culture in the old castle town, and several historic ryokan welcome same-day bathers.