An ablution pavilion at the bend in the path
The Yahiko Shrine Chozusha Ablution Pavilion (彌彦神社手水舎, Iyahiko Jinja Chōzusha) in Yahiko, Yahiko Village, Niigata Prefecture, is the 1916 pavilion where worshippers rinse their hands and mouth before praying at Yahiko Shrine, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1998/09/02 (number 15-0019). The Agency for Cultural Affairs reads the name chōzusha; the shrine calls it temizusha.
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a copper-sheet roof and a footprint of 7.0 square metres. It stands where the main approach turns towards the Second Torii Gate. Its curved gabled copper roof carries a cusped kara-hafu gable at front and back.
Finished like the dance hall
The corner posts lean slightly inward, each braced by a pair of Hikaebashira posts. The ceiling is coffered (Gō-tenjō), the eaves have two tiers of closely set rafters, and Mitsudo-gumi bracket sets carry the roof. The Agency notes that the detailing almost matches that of the dance hall.
Giving a 7-square-metre pavilion the same finish as the dance hall made it a marker of the shrine's rank at a key point on the approach.
Using it
Anyone may use the Yahiko Shrine Chozusha before worship. After rinsing, look up at the coffered ceiling and the bracket sets.
Step back and view it at an angle to see the cusped gables at both ends of the roof and the braces at each corner post. Here the path turns left towards the steps of the Second Torii Gate.
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Q&A
- Where is the Yahiko Shrine Chozusha?
- Where the main approach turns towards the Second Torii Gate.
- How is the name of the ablution pavilion read?
- Chōzusha in the Agency's record; the shrine calls it temizusha.
- What is notable about the Yahiko Shrine Chozusha Ablution Pavilion?
- A curved gable roof with cusped gables front and back, a coffered ceiling and bracket sets, close to the dance hall in finish.
- Can visitors use it?
- Yes, anyone may purify their hands there before worship.
- When was it registered?
- On 1998/09/02, as number 15-0019.
Basic Information
| Name | Yahiko Shrine Chozusha Ablution Pavilion (彌彦神社手水舎) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2898 Yahiko, Yahiko Village, Nishikanbara District, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 15-0019 |
| Year Designated | Registered 1998/09/02 (Heisei 10) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, copper-sheet roof; footprint 7 square metres; gabled roof with cusped gables front and back |
| Owner | Yahiko Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Open for use at any time |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Yahiko Shrine Chozusha Ablution Pavilion
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000674
- Yahiko Shrine official site — Ablution pavilion (Japanese)
- https://www.yahiko-jinjya.or.jp/meguru/temizu/index.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
