Kenkun Shrine Lattice Fence

A 55-Metre Fence Around the Main Hall

Kenkun Shrine Lattice Fence (建勲神社透塀, Takeisao Jinja Sukibei) is a 55 m timber fence enclosing all four sides of the main hall on the summit of Mount Funaoka in Kita-ku, Kyoto City; it was built in 1910 and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 18, 2008. At the front it attaches to either side of the norito hall, which serves as the gateway into the enclosure.

1910 is the year the main hall and its companions were carried up from the foot of the hill. The main hall, norito hall and corridor are 1880 buildings that were moved; the Lattice Fence was made new for the move. It is the fence that defined the precinct of the main hall on the new summit site.

Officially it is classed not as a building but as an "other structure", and it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it marks off the space around the main hall and gives it a solemn atmosphere.

Wainscot, Diamond Lattice and Cross-Braces

A sukibei is a fence left partly open, usually with lattice, so that you can see through it. The Kenkun Shrine Lattice Fence rests on a continuous footing of cut stone topped by a timber sill, with square posts rising from it. The posts are tied by horizontal Nageshi rails at waist and head height, and brackets projecting from the posts carry the top beam. The roof is of widely spaced rafters covered with Sangawara-buki pantiles.

Each bay is built in three layers. The lower part is a board wainscot, the middle is diamond lattice, and the narrow panel above has diagonal cross-braces. Closed at the feet, see-through at eye level, braced at the top.

The same bay repeats for 55 m, so the lattice and cross-braces run in an unbroken pattern right round the main hall. The main hall and norito hall have cypress-bark roofs; the fence is tiled, so even the roofing separates the enclosure from what it encloses.

A Fence Made to Be Looked Through

The main hall and corridor stand inside the Kenkun Shrine Lattice Fence, and ordinary visitors cannot go in. That means visitors see the main hall and corridor through this fence. The diamond lattice is what lets a closed enclosure show something of what is inside.

Because the fence joins the norito hall at the front, looking west from the worship hall you see its tiled roof stretching left and right from the norito hall. To the south, the offering hall faces the main hall across the fence.

In a formal prayer ceremony conducted by a priest, participants pass through the norito hall, which the shrine calls the Shinmon or inner gate, to the inside of the fence. The shrine accepts these from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and asks that you telephone first.

Visiting the Kenkun Shrine Lattice Fence

The outside of the Kenkun Shrine Lattice Fence can be seen freely from the grounds. The way the lattice and braces are put together is clearest close up, and the cut-stone footing and sill are at your feet.

The shrine does not forbid personal photography, but drones and commercial shoots need permission. When photographing the main hall through the fence, do not put hands or equipment through the lattice. Directions to the shrine and general visiting conditions are covered on the Kenkun Shrine page.