A Small Shrine Hall above an Island Spring
The Shimizu Shrine Hall (清水神社社殿) is a shrine hall of 1913 in Teshima Karato, Tonosho Town, Shozu District, Kagawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 12, 2001 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber hall with a tiled roof and a building area of 15 square metres; registration number 37-0059.
A Shrine Hall West of the Water Place
The Shimizu Shrine Hall stands at the top of steps west of the shared water place in Karato on Teshima, with a hip-and-gable front and a roof of round-and-flat tiles (Agency for Cultural Affairs). On a stone base rises a cedar-boarded hall 4 metres by 3 metres, with an altar of stacked stone slabs about 1 metre wide projecting at the back.
Kagawa Prefecture describes the Karato spring at the foot of Mount Dan in the middle of Teshima as a never-failing source said to have been dug by the monk Kobo Daishi, still used for drinking water and to irrigate the fields.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes that an ink inscription on a roof beam dates the hall to 1913, and that with the shared water place it shapes the historic landscape; it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
What to Look For
Look for the cedar-boarded walls and the stone-slab altar at the back (Agency for Cultural Affairs), and visit the Shimizu Kannondo next door as well.
Visiting
It is owned by Shimizu Shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official visiting information was found.
Q&A
- When was the Shimizu Shrine Hall built?
- In 1913, as an ink inscription on a roof beam shows (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How big is it?
- The hall is 4 metres by 3 metres, with an altar about 1 metre wide at the back.
- What should I look for?
- The cedar boarding and the stone-slab altar.
- Where is it?
- West of the shared water place in Karato on Teshima, Kagawa Prefecture.
- When was the Shimizu Shrine Hall registered?
- On October 12, 2001 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Shimizu Shrine Hall (清水神社社殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1261-2 Karato, Teshima, Tonosho Town, Shozu District, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2001/10/12 (Heisei 13) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, 15 m² |
| Owner | Shimizu Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | No official visiting information |
References
- Shimizu Shrine Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00002443
- Karato no Shimizu spring (Kagawa Prefecture, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/documents/29925/27.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.20