Izumo Daijingu Shrine Worship Hall

What the Worship Hall Is

The Izumo Daijingu Shrine Worship Hall (出雲大神宮拝殿, Izumo Daijingū Haiden) in Chitose-cho, Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a worship hall built in 1878 and registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021.

It measures three bays by three under a hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) roof of Hiwadabuki cypress bark and covers 34 square meters. It has no walls at all, and the shrine calls it a dance-stage type of hall.

The Izumo Daijingu worship hall stands at the head of the approach, directly in front of the middle gate, and the shrine says it was built with government funds.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Izumo Daijingu worship hall as the centerpiece of the grounds, combining dignity with grace. It is registered as No. 26-0617 for its contribution to the historic landscape.

Built five years after the 1873 notice board, it is one of the first buildings of the Meiji revival, and its bark roof deliberately matches the medieval main hall behind it.

Details Worth a Close Look

The round pillars of the Izumo Daijingu worship hall rest on a kamebara, a rounded plastered base shaped a little like a turtle's shell. A veranda with a railing whose ends curl upward runs all the way round.

The ceiling is a fine coffered grid (Gō-tenjō) across the whole interior. Because the hall is open, you can look up into it from the approach.

The eaves use two tiers of closely spaced rafters (Taruki) and lift gently toward the corners, so a heavy bark roof still looks light.

Seeing the Worship Hall

Since the Izumo Daijingu worship hall is open on all sides, the columns and ceiling are visible from the approach, but visitors do not step up into it.

According to the shrine, shrine maidens perform the Urayasu dance here at the Hanashizume festival on April 18 and the annual festival on October 21, the days to see the hall in use. Access is covered on the Izumo Daijingu Shrine page.