Sagara Shrine Main Hall

Sagara Shrine Main Hall: A Three-Bay Nagare Sanctuary of the Early Muromachi Period

Sagara Shrine Main Hall (相樂神社本殿) is an early Muromachi three-bay nagare-style shrine sanctuary in Sagara, Kizu-cho, Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture, designated in 1911 and now an Important Cultural Property.

According to Kizugawa City, the shrine was called Hachiman Shrine until the Edo period and was identified in 1877 as Sagara Shrine, listed in the tenth-century Engishiki. Its precinct includes the main hall, five subsidiary shrines, an Inari shrine, a worship hall, parishioners' rooms, an office, a guest hall, a four-legged gate and a torii.

It was designated on 17 April 1911 and belongs to Sagara Shrine.

Why It Is Protected

Kizugawa City describes the hall as a three-bay nagare-style sanctuary, 3 bays (4.89 metres) across and 1 bay (1.89 metres) deep, with a 1-bay (2.01 metres) canopy and a gently pitched cypress-bark roof.

Its date is unknown, but its style suggests the early Muromachi (Nanbokucho) period, and details such as the frog-leg struts (kaerumata), bracket infills (tabasami) and king posts with scrolled braces (taiheizuka) reflect that age. The city highlights how Chinese-style tie beams and Great Buddha-style bearing plates are added to what is basically Japanese-style bracketing.

What to Look For

In front of Sagara Shrine Main Hall, first follow the gentle bark roof as it sweeps down over the canopy. Then look at the canopy and gables for the carved members, the frog-leg struts, bracket infills and scrolled king posts, that carry the Nanbokucho style.

The mix of the Japanese style with Chinese-style beams and Great Buddha-style bearing plates shows the freedom of regional shrine builders at the time. Check whether plate-like pieces sit between the brackets, and how the curve of the tie beams is drawn.

Visiting

Sagara Shrine stands within the Sagara district of Kizu-cho, Kizugawa. The main hall is viewed from outside, and no official information on hours or fees could be found.

The New Year rites of Sagara, centred on a rice-planting ritual and designated an intangible folk cultural property by Kyoto Prefecture, take place on January 14 and 15. The precinct is busy on those days, so choose a quieter day to look at the hall, and be considerate of worshippers when taking photos.