Imamiya Shrine Heiden, Worship Pavilion and Corridors

The offering hall and worship pavilion before the sanctuary

The Imamiya Shrine Heiden, Worship Pavilion and Corridors (今宮神社幣殿・拝所・廻廊) is a group of 1902 buildings in front of the main sanctuary of Imamiya Shrine in Murasakino, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2018/03/27. The worship pavilion is where visitors stand to pray to the shrine's principal deities.

Like the main hall behind it, the group replaced buildings lost to fire in 1896. The Agency for Cultural Affairs names Ito Heizaemon as designer and builder, and the two were planned together. The registration counts as a single entry but covers three parts, with a combined building area of 65 square metres.

Cusped gables and lattice transoms

A gabled heiden, or offering hall, entered from its gable end, stands directly before the main hall. In front of it projects the worship pavilion under a karahafu, the undulating cusped gable seen on ceremonial Japanese buildings. Corridors run left and right from the offering hall to close the south side of the inner sanctuary. All the posts are round.

Inside the offering hall the posts are tied by carved rainbow beams carrying large bearing blocks and bracket arms. The corridors are plainer, with simple boat-shaped brackets under the beams, but their front bays are fitted with transoms of clustered diamond lattice.

The richest work is in the gable of the worship pavilion, where openwork carving of cloud patterns fills the space under the karahafu. In the Imamiya Shrine Heiden, Worship Pavilion and Corridors, the finest carving sits exactly where worshippers stand closest.

What to look for, and visiting

Anyone may pray at the worship pavilion. Before or after paying respects, look up at the gable to see the cloud carving at close range. The offering hall and corridors cannot be entered.

Turn left and right from the pavilion to see the diamond-lattice transoms of the corridors. During prayers and ceremonies, please give the space in front of the pavilion to worshippers. Directions and opening hours for the grounds are on the Imamiya Shrine page.