The Main Hall of Nogi Shrine
The Nogi Shrine Main Hall (乃木神社本殿) is a shrine main hall 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 hall with a copper roof and a building area of 40 square metres; registration number 37-0085.
A Three-Bay Shinmei-Style Hall
The Nogi Shrine Main Hall is a three-bay hall in the Shinmei-zukuri style with Munamochi-bashira, the free-standing posts that carry the ridge at each gable end. Its columns are round and its roof is Dōban-buki copper sheeting (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It faces east, raised on a plastered Kamebara base set on a platform of dressed stone.
The timber is left bare, unpainted throughout. A small porch, one bay deep and one bay wide under a simple two-sided roof, projects from the front as a Kōhai, and a Kōran railing runs up the front steps and around all four sides of the hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a structure that has become a model of design. It renders the shinmei form, ridge posts and all, in bare round columns under a copper roof with no added ornament, and the worship hall and torii were built to match it in the same straight-lined manner (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
What to Look For
Look for the ridge posts standing clear of the gable walls, and the little two-sided porch on the front (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The porch is an addition to the strict shinmei form, and the railing carries on from the front steps all the way round the hall. Take in the footing too: bare round columns on a plastered base over dressed stone.
Visiting
The Nogi Shrine Main Hall stands behind the worship hall to the west, facing east (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information was found on access to the interior or to the area immediately around the hall.
Q&A
- When was the Nogi Shrine Main Hall built?
- In 1937, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Zentsuji City gives 1935 as the year the shrine was built.
- What style is the Nogi Shrine Main Hall?
- A three-bay shinmei-zukuri hall with ridge posts, bare round columns and a copper roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What should I look for at the Nogi Shrine Main Hall?
- The ridge posts at the gable ends, the small two-sided porch and the railing around all four sides.
- Can I go inside the Nogi Shrine Main Hall?
- No official information on interior access was found.
- When was the Nogi Shrine Main Hall registered?
- On February 14, 2002 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Nogi Shrine Main Hall (乃木神社本殿) |
|---|---|
| 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, 40 m² |
| Owner | Sanuki-gu (Kagawa Gokoku Shrine) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the grounds (no information on interior access) |
References
- Nogi Shrine Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002687
- 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
