Shirahige Shrine (Kinasa)
Shirahige Shrine (白髯神社) stands in the mountains west of Nagano City at Kinasa Hikage; its main hall of about the Momoyama period is an Important Cultural Property and its worship hall of 1878 a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency notes that, being in a remote mountain area, the main hall keeps some features of the Muromachi style along with regional character, making it precious for understanding the culture of the region.
The Two Halls
The main hall is a one-bay nagare-style hall with a shingled roof; its date is unknown but probably around the Momoyama period (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was designated an Important Cultural Property on June 27, 1959.
The worship hall, east of the main hall, has a hip-and-gable roof entered on the long side, with a porch under a cusped eave gable and a triangular gable above, a showy front of layered gables (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was registered on August 15, 2024. Each hall is described on its own page.
Visiting
No official information on visiting the shrine or on access was found.
References
- Shirahige Shrine Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/1028
- Shirahige Shrine Worship Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00015008
Last verified: 2026.10.17
Basic Information
| Name | Shirahige Shrine (Kinasa) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kinasa Hikage, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture |
| Owner | Shirahige Shrine |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (1) · Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (1) |
| Coordinates | 36.67229, 137.99136 |
