A Double-Walled Inari Hall by Egawa
The Zenkaku Inari Shrine Main Hall (善覚稲荷神社本殿) is a double-walled shrine hall designed by Egawa Saburohachi of 1919, moved in 1962 in Kiyama, Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on October 27, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a copper roof and a building area of 12 square metres; registration number 33-0284.
Round Posts Outside, Square Posts Within
According to the Okayama Prefecture Association of Shinto Shrines, Kiyama Shrine is said to date from 816 and enshrines Susanoo; the mountaintop shrine remains as the inner shrine, and the lower shrine was built at the foot of the mountain in 1962.
The main hall of Zenkaku Inari Shrine, in the precinct of Kiyama Shrine, dates from 1919 and was moved in 1962 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It is a gabled hall 4.0 by 3.2 metres with a copper roof, entered from the long side, with a veranda all round.
Its walls are doubled, with round posts outside and square posts inside, under a coffered ceiling. Designed by Egawa Saburohachi, it shares grouped rafters and other features with the other buildings of the precinct, a distinctive shrine building (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the double walls with round posts outside and square posts within, and the coffered ceiling (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Kiyama Shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on visiting hours was found. The worship hall, corridor and the main hall and worship hall of Zenkaku Inari Shrine in the precinct are introduced together on the Kiyama Shrine page.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1919, moved in 1962.
- Who designed it?
- Egawa Saburohachi.
- What is unusual?
- Double walls, round posts outside.
- Where is it?
- In the Kiyama Shrine precinct.
- When was the Zenkaku Inari Shrine Main Hall registered?
- On October 27, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Zenkaku Inari Shrine Main Hall (善覚稲荷神社本殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1265-1 Kiyama, Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/10/27 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, copper roof, 12 m² |
| Owner | Kiyama Shrine |
| Public Access | No official information on access |
References
- Zenkaku Inari Shrine Main Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012031
- Kiyama Shrine (Okayama Prefecture Association of Shinto Shrines, in Japanese)
- https://www.okayama-jinjacho.or.jp/search/19098/?print=pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.27
