Izumo Daijingu Shrine Ritual Implement Storehouse

What the Ritual Implement Storehouse Is

The Izumo Daijingu Shrine Ritual Implement Storehouse (出雲大神宮祭器庫, Izumo Daijingū Saikiko) in Chitose-cho, Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a two-storey earthen storehouse built in 1885, moved in 1918 and registered as a Tangible Cultural Property on February 4, 2021.

It is built in Dozo-zukuri, the thick clay-walled construction of Japanese fireproof stores, with a hipped (Yosemune-zukuri) sheet-iron roof, and covers 46 square meters. It holds the vessels and equipment used in shrine ceremonies.

The Izumo Daijingu ritual implement storehouse stands on raised ground east of the approach.

Why It Was Registered

Nearly every building at Izumo Daijingu is unpainted natural timber, so a white plastered storehouse stands out. The Agency for Cultural Affairs says it adds character to grounds dominated by plain wood.

Its registration number is 26-0621, under the historic-landscape criterion. Built in 1885, it reached its present position when it was moved in 1918.

Details of the Storehouse

The walls of the Izumo Daijingu ritual implement storehouse are finished in Shikkui lime plaster, with a lower band of Namako-kabe: flat tiles set into the wall with raised plaster joints that shed rain splash. A stepped plaster cornice runs under the eaves.

The entrance is in the center of the west side, closed by a pair of heavy clay doors under a small lean-to roof. Small windows pierce both gable ends of the upper floor, and the brackets (Mochiokuri) under the canopy are carved, a touch of ornament on a working store.

Seeing the Storehouse

The interior of the Izumo Daijingu ritual implement storehouse is not open. It sits above and behind the temizuya on the east side of the approach, so the white walls and tile band are easy to see from the path.

The west entrance and the carved brackets are best viewed from the approach side. Access is covered on the Izumo Daijingu Shrine page.