Main Building of the Shrine's Chief Priest's Office (former

Jingu Saishu Shokusha Main Building (Former Keikoin Guest Hall): A Masterpiece of Early Edo Shoin Architecture

Tucked behind an imposing earthen wall adorned with imperial chrysanthemum crests, the Jingu Saishu Shokusha Main Building stands quietly along one of Japan's most famous pilgrimage streets — Oharai-machi, the bustling approach to Ise Jingu's Inner Shrine (Naiku). While millions of visitors pass by its gate each year, few realize that behind those walls lies a nationally designated Important Cultural Property with a history inseparable from the survival of Ise Jingu itself.

Originally constructed as the guest hall (kyakuden) of Keikoin, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist nunnery, this early Edo-period building is one of the finest surviving examples of shoin-zukuri architecture in Japan. Its story stretches back to a time of civil war when the most sacred ceremony of Japan's most sacred shrine — the Shikinen Sengu, the 20-year rebuilding of Ise Jingu — had been abandoned for over a century. It was the remarkable abbesses of Keikoin who made its revival possible.

The Extraordinary History of Keikoin

Keikoin was an independent Rinzai Zen nunnery established in the Muromachi period in Ise. What made this temple extraordinary was the role its abbesses played in the history of Ise Jingu. During the upheaval of the Sengoku (Warring States) period, the imperial court and the Ashikaga shogunate lost the financial resources to carry out the Shikinen Sengu — the ritual reconstruction of the shrine buildings every 20 years. By the mid-15th century, the ceremony had been suspended for over 120 years.

It was a succession of determined Keikoin abbesses who changed the course of history. The first abbess, Shuetsu (守悦), began by raising funds through kanjin (religious fundraising pilgrimages) to rebuild the Uji Bridge at the entrance to the Inner Shrine. The third abbess, Seijun (清順), received imperial authorization and traveled across the country soliciting donations from feudal lords. In 1563, her efforts led to the revival of the Outer Shrine's Shikinen Sengu after a gap of 129 years. Emperor Go-Nara bestowed the honorary name "Keikoin" upon her residence in recognition of her achievements.

The fourth abbess, Shuyo (周養), continued this mission for the Inner Shrine. With support from powerful warlords including Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, she succeeded in restoring the Inner Shrine's Shikinen Sengu in 1585, ending a 123-year interruption. Hideyoshi ordered the construction of the Keikoin residence — the very guest hall that survives today as the Saishu Shokusha Main Building. The abbesses became known as "Ise Shonin" (Ise Holy Ones) or "Sengu Shonin" (Holy Ones of the Rebuilding), and they were among only three religious leaders in all of Japan granted the use of the purple robe by the imperial court.

This is a remarkable chapter in Japanese religious history: at a shrine that strictly separated Shinto from Buddhism and where women faced additional restrictions due to ritual taboos, it was Buddhist nuns who saved the most important ceremony of the most important Shinto shrine in the nation.

Architectural Significance

The Main Building is a single-story wooden structure with an irimoya-zukuri (hip-and-gable) roof covered in hon-kawara (formal ceramic tiles). It measures approximately 23.3 meters across and 18.5 meters deep, making it a remarkably large-scale guest hall. At the eastern end of the south facade, a chumon (formal entrance gate) with a gabled roof projects outward, while on the eastern face, a shikidai (formal entranceway) serves as the main entrance. The juxtaposition of these two entrance elements reflects a transitional period in Japanese residential architecture when the ceremonial chumon was becoming increasingly formalized.

While tradition once attributed the building's construction to the late 16th century under orders from Toyotomi Hideyoshi — with a letter from Lady Yodo (Hideyoshi's consort) referencing the building — architectural analysis now places its construction in the late Kan'ei era (around the 1630s–1640s), based on its structural techniques and stylistic features characteristic of the early Edo period.

The interior follows the classic shoin-zukuri layout arranged in two rows of rooms running north to south, with rooms of 18, 15, and 12 tatami mats from west to east. The northwestern room features a jodan-no-ma (raised platform room) of the highest formality, complete with chigai-dana (staggered display shelves), chodai-gamae (ornamental sleeping-alcove entrance), and a tsuke-shoin (built-in writing desk) that extends into an even more elevated jo-jodan-no-ma (upper raised platform). These features represent the pinnacle of formal reception-room design in premodern Japan, designed to impress visiting dignitaries and display the status of the host.

The building's massive timber framework with thick, bold pillars, combined with the imposing tiled roof presenting a grand hafu (decorative gable) on its main facade, creates a commanding presence. As noted in the official designation, it is one of the few surviving examples of the shuden (main-hall) architectural style and represents a rare, orthodox, and fully realized guest hall from the early modern period.

Why It Was Designated an Important Cultural Property

The building was designated a nationally Important Cultural Property on December 26, 2002. The designation recognizes several key aspects of its value. First, it is an exceptionally rare surviving example of the shuden-style layout — a formal architectural type used for high-status reception halls — dating to the early Edo period. Second, its large scale, robust timber construction, and complete ensemble of shoin-zukuri interior fittings demonstrate the highest level of craftsmanship and formality of the period. Third, the building provides invaluable evidence of the architectural transition from medieval to early modern residential and reception-hall design, particularly in the relationship between the chumon entrance and the shikidai entranceway. Prior to this national designation, the building, along with the adjacent kitchen building (kattesho) and the front gate (omote-mon), had been designated as Mie Prefecture Tangible Cultural Properties in 1997.

From Nunnery to Shrine Facility

Keikoin continued to operate throughout the Edo period, receiving patronage from the imperial court, the Tokugawa shogunate, and the Tokugawa branch houses. The temple held an estate of over 400 koku in the village of Iso in Watarai District. However, in 1869, the Meiji government's policy of separating Shinto from Buddhism (shinbutsu bunri) led to the abolition of the temple, along with more than 100 other Buddhist institutions in Ise.

The property was acquired by Ise Jingu and initially served as the Jingu Administration Office (Jingu Shicho) from 1872. In 1890, it was converted to the Jingu Saishu Shokusha — the official residence for the Saishu, the supreme ceremonial officiant of Ise Jingu. The Saishu is traditionally a woman of imperial lineage, and the position has been held by former members of the imperial family. The building was renovated in 1891, when the karahafu-style (Chinese gabled) entrance porch with a hinoki bark roof was added to the east facade.

The approximately 1,700 historical documents that accumulated at Keikoin from the Muromachi through the Meiji periods — known collectively as the Keikoin Monjo — were transferred to the Jingu Chokokan (Jingu Museum) in 1954, where they remain an invaluable resource for researchers studying the history of Ise Jingu and the Shikinen Sengu.

Highlights and What to Look For

Although the building is normally closed to the public, visitors can appreciate several features from Oharai-machi Street. The five-lined earthen wall (gobon-sen dobei) is a mark of the highest status, and its roof tiles bear the imperial chrysanthemum crest, reflecting the building's connection to the imperial household. Behind the wall, the imposing tiled roof and decorative gables of the main building are visible, conveying the scale and dignity of this early Edo masterpiece.

The front gate (omote-mon) is itself a designated Mie Prefecture Tangible Cultural Property. This single-bay yakui-mon gate was originally part of the residence of Tarōdate Suemitsu, a prominent onshi (Ise pilgrimage guide-priest), and was relocated to its present site in 1873. An inscription on its ridge tiles dates its construction to 1841.

During the annual special opening — typically held on November 3rd (Culture Day national holiday) — visitors can enter part of the main building and view the magnificent jodan-no-ma reception room with its complete set of shoin-zukuri fittings. This is an extremely rare opportunity to see the interior of a building that functions as a living religious facility. Please note that photography inside the building is restricted.

Nearby Attractions

The Saishu Shokusha is located in the heart of Oharai-machi, making it easy to combine with other experiences in the area. Oharai-machi itself is a beautifully preserved 800-meter-long street of traditional Ise-style architecture, lined with shops, restaurants, and tea houses. Just off Oharai-machi is Okage Yokocho, a charming recreation of Edo-to-Meiji-era streetscapes with over 60 shops and eateries. Ise Jingu's Inner Shrine (Naiku) is at the far end of the street, a few minutes' walk from the Saishu Shokusha.

Other cultural properties nearby include the Jingu Chokokan (Jingu Museum) and the Jingu Nogyokan (Jingu Museum of Agriculture), which house Shinto artifacts and objects related to the Shikinen Sengu. The Sengukan Museum, located near the Outer Shrine, offers a detailed and interactive introduction to the Shikinen Sengu ceremony that the Keikoin abbesses worked so hard to revive. For visitors interested in the broader cultural heritage of Ise, the Hinjitsukan in Futami — a former guesthouse for imperial visitors — is also designated as an Important Cultural Property.