What the Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine Is
The Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine (Former Hoanden) (佐藤家住宅神宮小祠（旧奉安殿）, Satō-ke Jūtaku Jingū Shōshi, Kyū Hōanden) is a miniature shrine dedicated to the Grand Shrine of Ise on a merchant family's estate on the Oshu Kaido highway in Ogawara Town, Miyagi Prefecture, built in the early Showa era between 1926 and 1945, moved to its present spot at some point between 1945 and 1954, and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 28 June 2017. It is a timber building with a copper roof, covering 0.34 square metres.
The Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine stands facing south to the west of the Gogyo Inari Shrine, in the precinct for the household gods at the east end of the estate. As its name says, it began life as a hoanden, one of the small buildings erected at schools and other institutions before the war to house the portraits of the emperor and empress and the Imperial Rescript on Education, all of which were abolished after the war.
The Satoya Project dates this hoanden to the Second World War and credits its design to Ogura Tsuyoshi, the architect of the main house. Where it originally stood, and when and why it came to the estate, is not recorded in any source found.
Why It Was Listed
The Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine was registered as a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a small shrine of good quality that has all the features of the shinmei style, and notes its contribution to the setting.
The form is Shinmei-zukuri, the style of Ise. A body 0.7 metres by 0.5 metres sits on a timber platform about 1 metre high. Free-standing Munamochi-bashira ridge posts stand at the gable ends, and six Katsuogi billets lie across the ridge. The crossed Chigi finials have been lost.
What the Agency singles out is the thickness of the posts. On a building under a metre across, the posts are generous, which keeps the robust character of the shinmei style intact at a tiny scale.
What to Look For
View the Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine from the front and from the side. From the side you can see the ridge posts standing clear of the gable and the six billets along the ridge. Look at the ends of the ridge, where the chigi are missing, for clues to the original silhouette.
Note the timber platform. Raised about 1 metre off the ground, the small body is brought close to eye level.
Compare it with the Gogyo Inari Shrine next door. The Meiji Inari shrine is dense with carving; this one relies on the proportions of posts and roof alone. Two small shrines of opposite temperament share one precinct.
Visiting
The Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine stands inside the walls at the east end of the estate and cannot be seen from the street. It can be seen only when the house is opened for Satoya Project events, and if the shrine precinct is included should be checked in the event notice (checked 25 September 2026).
It is a shrine in use, so visit quietly and do not touch the platform or the building. No official statement on photography was found.
Event dates, directions from the station and parking are covered on the Sato Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Miyagi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine (Former Hoanden)
- [ Matsushima Bay Cruise & Sendai Food Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I visit the Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine?
- It is inside the walls and not visible from the street. It can be seen only when the house is opened for Satoya Project events, if the precinct is included (checked 25 September 2026).
- What was the Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine originally?
- A hoanden, a building of the kind that held the imperial portraits and the Imperial Rescript on Education before the war. It was moved to its present spot between 1945 and 1954 and became a shrine to Ise.
- What style is the Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine?
- Shinmei-zukuri. A body 0.7 metres by 0.5 metres sits on a timber platform about 1 metre high, with ridge posts and six katsuogi billets; the chigi finials are lost.
- Who designed the Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine?
- The Satoya Project credits Ogura Tsuyoshi, architect of the main house. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database does not name a designer.
- Why is the Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered in 2017 as a model of design, a small shrine of good quality with thick posts and all the features of the shinmei style.
Basic Information
| Name | Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine (Former Hoanden) (佐藤家住宅神宮小祠（旧奉安殿）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 200-2 Aza-Machi, Ogawara Town, Shibata District, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), Registration No. 04-0137 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/06/28 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, copper roof, building area 0.34 square metres |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | Normally closed; the house is opened during Satoya Project events |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Sato Family Residence Small Jingu Shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011627
- Designated and Registered Cultural Properties (Ogawara Town)
- https://www.town.ogawara.miyagi.jp/1800.htm
- History of the Satoya (Satoya Project)
- https://www.satouya-project.com/satouya-rekisi.html
- The Satoya Residence (Satoya Project)
- https://www.satouya-project.com/satouya-tatemono.html
- Contact and Access (Satoya Project)
- https://www.satouya-project.com/contact.html
Last verified: 2026.09.25
