One of a row of subsidiary shrines
The Yahiko Shrine Kusanagi Subsidiary Shrine (彌彦神社摂社草薙神社) in Yahiko, Yahiko Village, Niigata Prefecture, is a subsidiary shrine in the grounds of Yahiko Shrine, rebuilt in 1916 after the fire of 1912 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 1998/09/02 (number 15-0012).
It enshrines Ame-no-Tokuni no Mikoto, the fourth generation counting from Ame-no-Kaguyama no Mikoto. Shrine tradition says that after serving two emperors he returned to Yahiko and cut back the grass with his sword to clear a dwelling place at the foot of Goten-yama, which is how the name Kusanagi, grass-cutting, arose. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey timber building with a copper-sheet roof and a footprint of just 5.0 square metres.
Rebuilt in its old form
Eight subsidiary shrines stand in a single row on the terrace above the dance hall and musicians' hall. The fire of 1912 destroyed 3 of them, and in 1916 those 3 were rebuilt in the same form as before: the Kusanagi, Imayama and Otoko shrines. The Tobashira shrine at the right-hand end, a Genroku-era hall that escaped the fire, is protected under a separate national system.
The 草薙 shrine is a one-bay nagare-zukuri hall on a raised platform, with a veranda on three sides, wing screens and a copper roof. The Imayama, Otoko and Kusanagi shrines share the same size and form, the Kusanagi shrine being second from the left.
Seeing it
The Yahiko Shrine Kusanagi Subsidiary Shrine stands second from the left in the row of subsidiary shrines on the terrace above the dance hall, to the right of the path beyond the Second Torii Gate. Visitors pray in front of it; there is no interior to enter. The shrine says the tomb of this deity lies on the way up Goten-yama from the Kannonji district of the village.
Look along the row from the left and compare the three matching 1916 halls with the older Tobashira hall at the right-hand end: it shows how closely the rebuilding followed what had been lost. Note the raised platform and the wing screens at the sides of each little hall.
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Q&A
- Where is the Yahiko Shrine Kusanagi Subsidiary Shrine?
- Second from the left in the row of subsidiary shrines above the dance hall at Yahiko Shrine.
- Who is enshrined in the Yahiko Shrine Kusanagi Subsidiary Shrine?
- Ame-no-Tokuni no Mikoto.
- Where does the name Kusanagi come from?
- Shrine tradition says the deity cleared the grass with his sword to make a dwelling place; kusanagi means grass-cutting.
- When was the Yahiko Shrine Kusanagi Subsidiary Shrine built?
- It was rebuilt in 1916, in its pre-fire one-bay nagare-zukuri form, after the fire of 1912.
- When was it registered as a cultural property?
- On 1998/09/02, as number 15-0012.
Basic Information
| Name | Yahiko Shrine Kusanagi Subsidiary Shrine (彌彦神社摂社草薙神社) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2898 Yahiko, Yahiko Village, Nishikanbara District, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 15-0012 |
| Year Designated | Registered 1998/09/02 (Heisei 10) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber building, copper-sheet roof; footprint 5 square metres; one-bay nagare-zukuri |
| Owner | Yahiko Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior only (open for worship from the front) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Yahiko Shrine Kusanagi Subsidiary Shrine
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000667
- Yahiko Shrine official site — Subsidiary shrines (Japanese)
- https://www.yahiko-jinjya.or.jp/meguru/setumatusya/index.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
