A Wall That Marks Rank
Behind and to the sides of the main sanctuary at Imamiya Shrine runs an earthen wall that most visitors pass without a second glance. It is worth a look. The wall wraps the north back face and both the east and west sides of the Honden and the neighbouring Ekijinja, folding around the enclosure for a measured length of 65.4 metres.
It was built in the late Meiji era, roughly between 1898 and 1912, in the same campaign that produced the rebuilt sanctuary in front of it.
Reading the Details
A gate set into the wall, an umemon, opens at the centre of the north face. The roof is finished partly in pantile and partly in formal hongawara tiling, and the whole wall rises from a stone-masonry base. Inside, upright posts called suzhu are set at every bay.
The detail worth knowing is the plaster: the wall shows five horizontal lines, the jōgisuji. In the grammar of Japanese walls these lines signal rank, and five is the highest number used. On a plain earthen wall they are a quiet declaration that the enclosure within holds the shrine's principal sanctuary.
Why It Matters
Registered in March 2018 under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape, the wall is described in the national record as a fine earthen wall that lends dignity to the sanctuary precinct. It is a good example of how a boundary structure, not a hall at all, can carry real architectural meaning.
Seen with the Honden, the Heiden and the corridors, the wall completes the picture of the main sanctuary as a planned whole rather than a single building.
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Q&A
- What is a tsuijibei?
- A tsuijibei is a rammed-earth or plastered earthen wall, here rising from a stone base and capped with tile. This one encloses the shrine's main sanctuary.
- What do the five plaster lines mean?
- The horizontal lines, jōgisuji, indicate rank. Five is the highest number used, marking the enclosure as holding the shrine's principal hall.
- How long is the wall?
- It measures 65.4 metres, folding around the north back and the east and west sides of the Honden and the Ekijinja.
- When was it built?
- In the late Meiji era, roughly between 1898 and 1912, during the same rebuilding as the sanctuary in front of it.
Basic Information
| Name | Imamiya Shrine Honden Earthen Wall (Tsuijibei) |
|---|---|
| Location | 21 Imamiya-cho, Murasakino, Kita-ku, Kyoto |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), registered 27 March 2018 |
| Registration No. | 26-535 |
| Date | Late Meiji era (approx. 1898-1912) |
| Count / Structure | 1 structure; earthen wall, tile-roofed, length 65 m |
| Owner | Imamiya Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Access | Kyoto City Bus to 'Imamiya-jinja-mae'; or 'Funaokayama' stop, approx. 7 min on foot |
| Public access | Visible from within the precinct; open and free |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース — 今宮神社本殿築地塀
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012187
- 紫野 今宮神社 公式サイト — 境内
- http://www.imamiyajinja.org/guide/
- 京都十六社朱印めぐり — 今宮神社
- https://kyoto-16sha.jp/imamiyajinja/
Last verified: 2026.07.02