A Household Shrine Beside the South Storehouse
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Inari Shrine (長井家住宅（梅屋）稲荷社) is a household shrine of around 1969 in Higashinagashima, Kihoku-cho, Mie Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan on June 24, 2021. The latest of the compound's 12 registered properties, it faces south just west of the South Storehouse.
The outer shelter is a tiny gabled building with its entrance on the gable end (Tsumairi), set on a concrete base under a pantile roof, with a building area of 1.4 square meters. At the front hang double board doors with lattice panels above. Inside is the shrine proper (Hokora), a single-bay structure in the nagare style (Nagare-zukuri) of the misedana type, roofed with thin boards.
Why It Was Registered
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Inari Shrine was registered for contributing to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it the accent of the compound's south side. Among large storehouses and the Main House, a very small building gives the view its focal point.
Inari, the deity of harvests and commercial prosperity, is widely enshrined in a corner of merchant and farming households to watch over the family business. Around 1969 the Main Gate was also built, so the south and east sides of the estate were both being reworked at the time.
What to Look For
The detail to find is on the back of the shelter: a hole cut through the lower wall for foxes to pass. Foxes are the messengers of Inari, and the opening is a gesture of devotion rather than of use.
The inner shrine is of the misedana type, with a small shelf projecting at the front and no raised floor, set low to the ground. Protected by its shelter, it can keep a light roof of thin boards.
Visiting
The Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Inari Shrine is a private household shrine and is not open for worship or viewing. It is described as the accent of the south side, but how much can be seen from outside the property has not been confirmed.
See the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) page for viewing conditions across the estate.
Q&A
- When was the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Inari Shrine built?
- Around 1969.
- How is the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Inari Shrine built?
- A gabled, pantile-roofed shelter entered from the gable end houses a single-bay nagare-style shrine of the misedana type with a thin board roof.
- What is the fox hole at the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Inari Shrine?
- A hole cut in the lower back wall of the shelter so that foxes, the messengers of Inari, can come and go.
- Can you pray at the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Inari Shrine?
- No. It is a private household shrine and does not accept visitors or worshippers.
- How large is the Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Inari Shrine?
- The shelter is a single-story timber structure with a building area of 1.4 square meters.
Basic Information
| Name | Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Inari Shrine |
|---|---|
| Location | 2495-1 Yobisaki, Higashinagashima, Kihoku-cho, Kitamuro-gun, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/6/24 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-story timber building, tiled roof, building area 1.4 square meters |
| Owner | Not published (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Not open to the public (no worship or viewing) |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Nagai Family Residence (Umeya) Inari Shrine
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013821
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Council for Cultural Affairs report on new registrations, March 19, 2021 (Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/93206101_04.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.26
