The Purification Pavilion of Nogi Shrine
The Nogi Shrine Chozuya (乃木神社手水舎) is a chozuya purification pavilion of 1937 in Bunkyocho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on February 14, 2002 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber structure with a copper roof and a building area of 8.3 square metres; registration number 37-0088.
A Pavilion Open on Four Sides
A chozuya is where worshippers rinse their hands and mouth before praying. The Nogi Shrine Chozuya has a copper-sheeted Kirizuma-zukuri gabled roof with its ridge running east to west and its entrance on the long side, Hirairi, and it is left open on all four sides with no walls at all (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a structure that has become a model of design. It notes that the posts stand truly vertical with no inward lean, each paired with two Hikaebashira braces, and that Nuki tie beams, struts, purlins and beams build up a frame of almost constructivist character.
What to Look For
The thing to study is the frame: upright posts, each with its pair of braces, crossed by horizontal ties and beams (Agency for Cultural Affairs). With no walls, the whole structure is on view.
Visiting
The Nogi Shrine Chozuya stands just to the left after the torii on the approach, south-east of the shrine office (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Open on four sides, its frame can be seen from every direction.
Q&A
- When was the Nogi Shrine Chozuya built?
- In 1937, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
- What is special about the Nogi Shrine Chozuya?
- Vertical posts with paired braces and a frame of ties and beams of almost constructivist character (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is the roof of the Nogi Shrine Chozuya like?
- A copper gabled roof running east to west, entered on the long side, over a pavilion open on all four sides.
- Where is the Nogi Shrine Chozuya?
- Just to the left after the torii on the approach, south-east of the shrine office (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- When was the Nogi Shrine Chozuya registered?
- On February 14, 2002 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Nogi Shrine Chozuya (乃木神社手水舎) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4-4-5 Bunkyocho, Zentsuji City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2002/02/14 (Heisei 14) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, copper roof, 8.3 m² |
| Owner | Sanuki-gu (Kagawa Gokoku Shrine) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the grounds (no information on interior access) |
References
- Nogi Shrine Chozuya (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002690
- Nogi Shrine, Zentsuji Digital Museum (Zentsuji City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.zentsuji.kagawa.jp/soshiki/50/digi-m-culture-detail-049-index.html
Last verified: 2026.10.20
