Not to Be Confused with the Main Hall
The Wakamiya-sha is a subsidiary shrine within the Imamiya precinct, and its Honden should not be confused with the main sanctuary of the shrine, which was rebuilt in 1902. This hall is far older. It was built in 1694, in the Genroku era, and belongs to the campaign of works supported by Keishō-in, the mother of the fifth Tokugawa shogun.
It stands a little to the west of the centre of the precinct, facing east. The Wakamiya-sha enshrines a group of deities associated with the shrine's early history, including a deity linked to the Atago cult and the spirits of the successive Kamo saiō priestesses.
A Roof Worth the Detour
The building is a three-bay hall, sanken-sha, and its roof is genuinely unusual. Two kasuga-style roofs are set side by side and their ridges are joined so that, seen from above, the ridge forms the shape of the character for 'engineering', a linked H-form. It is a shape rarely met in shrine architecture and the single most distinctive feature of the whole precinct.
A plank veranda, the kureen, runs around the front and sides, closed by side screens, and plank doors are set in each front bay of the body. The single-bay canopy is carried on a purlin shaped like a decorative tie-beam. For a small hall it is remarkably inventive.
Registration
The Wakamiya-sha Honden was registered in March 2018 under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape. The national record singles out its distinctive form and refined design.
Together with the Wakamiya worship hall in front and the gate and openwork fence around it, the Honden preserves the look of a Genroku-era sub-precinct within the larger, later-rebuilt shrine.
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Q&A
- Is this the shrine's main hall?
- No. This is the Honden of the Wakamiya-sha, a subsidiary shrine. The main sanctuary of Imamiya Shrine is a separate 1902 building at the north of the precinct.
- What makes the roof unusual?
- Two kasuga-style roofs are set side by side and joined at the ridge, forming a linked H-shape rarely seen in shrine architecture.
- How old is it?
- It was built in 1694, during the Genroku-era restoration supported by Keishō-in, mother of the fifth Tokugawa shogun.
- What does the Wakamiya-sha enshrine?
- A group of deities tied to the shrine's early history, including one linked to the Atago cult and the spirits of the successive Kamo saiō priestesses.
Basic Information
| Name | Imamiya Shrine Wakamiya-sha Honden |
|---|---|
| Location | 21 Imamiya-cho, Murasakino, Kita-ku, Kyoto |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building), registered 27 March 2018 |
| Registration No. | 26-538 |
| Date | Genroku 7 (1694) |
| Count / Structure | 1 building; timber, single-story, copper-plate roof, floor area approx. 9.6 m2 |
| Owner | Imamiya Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Access | Kyoto City Bus to 'Imamiya-jinja-mae'; or 'Funaokayama' stop, approx. 7 min on foot |
| Public access | Precinct open and free; viewed from the grounds |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース — 今宮神社若宮社本殿
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012190
- 紫野 今宮神社 公式サイト — 歴史
- http://www.imamiyajinja.org/history/
- 京都十六社朱印めぐり — 今宮神社
- https://kyoto-16sha.jp/imamiyajinja/
Last verified: 2026.07.02