One of a row of subsidiary shrines
The Yahiko Shrine Imayama Subsidiary Shrine (彌彦神社摂社今山神社) 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 15-0011).
It enshrines Take-Tsutsukusa no Mikoto, the fifth generation counting from Ame-no-Kaguyama no Mikoto; the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls him the fifth-generation Imayama no Ōkami. Shrine tradition remembers him as a deity who loved quiet and deep reflection. 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 今山 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, and the Agency notes that the Imayama shrine matches the Otoko shrine in size and form.
Seeing it
The Yahiko Shrine Imayama Subsidiary Shrine stands third 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 in the hills at Hiso, in Nishikan Ward of Niigata City.
The Imayama shrine sits between the Kusanagi shrine and an older hall that survived the fire, so walking the row you pass rebuilt and surviving buildings in turn; compare the copper roofs and the weathering of the timber.
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Q&A
- Where is the Yahiko Shrine Imayama Subsidiary Shrine?
- Third from the left in the row of subsidiary shrines above the dance hall at Yahiko Shrine.
- Who is enshrined in the Yahiko Shrine Imayama Subsidiary Shrine?
- Take-Tsutsukusa no Mikoto.
- How does the Imayama shrine differ from its neighbours?
- It does not: the Agency records it as identical in size and form to the Otoko shrine, and the Kusanagi shrine shares the same design.
- When was the Yahiko Shrine Imayama 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 15-0011.
Basic Information
| Name | Yahiko Shrine Imayama Subsidiary Shrine (彌彦神社摂社今山神社) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2898 Yahiko, Yahiko Village, Nishikanbara District, Niigata Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 15-0011 |
| 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 Imayama Subsidiary Shrine
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000666
- Yahiko Shrine official site — Subsidiary shrines (Japanese)
- https://www.yahiko-jinjya.or.jp/meguru/setumatusya/index.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
