The largest of the one-bay shrines
The Myokyoji Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine (妙教寺羽弥御崎天王社, Myōkyō-ji Hayamisaki Tennōsha) is a one-bay shrine of 1921 west of the Reioden's inner sanctuary, just south of the Nobu and Aki Tennosha, at Saijo Inari Myokyoji in Takamatsu Inari, Kita Ward, Okayama City; it was moved in 1979 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2009/01/08. It is one of the Seventy-Seven Subsidiary Shrines.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the Myokyoji Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine is the largest one-bay shrine in the group, with a building area of 2.2 square metres. An Okayama City article names the carpenter as Asakusaya Kojiro, the local man who built the Arakuma Tennosha two years earlier, in 1919.
Dragons riding clouds
The shrine has a hip-and-gable roof of cypress bark with a small dormer gable and a one-bay porch under a curving karahafu eave.
The eaves rest on three-stepped bracket sets packed between the posts, with the tail rafters doubled: the upper one carved as a dragon, the lower as clouds, so that dragons seem to burst from the eaves on clouds. The porch and much else are filled with carving.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it a shrine dense in both ornament and form. Asakusaya had used three-stepped brackets and dragon tail rafters on the Arakuma shrine; here, two years on, he added clouds and doubled them.
What to look for, and visiting
The Myokyoji Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine stands west of the Reioden's inner sanctuary, between the Nobu and Aki Tennosha to the north and the Onori Tennosha to the south. It can be seen at any time, free of charge; the interior is not open.
Go to a corner of the eaves and look up at the paired dragon and cloud rafters. Beside the tiny Nobu and Aki shrine, its larger size is obvious, and with the Arakuma shrine you can compare two works by the same carpenter. Opening hours and directions are on the Saijo Inari Myokyoji page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Okayama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Myokyoji Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine
- [ Kurashiki Bikan District & Korakuen Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- How is the Myokyoji Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine's name read?
- Hayamisaki.
- Where is the Myokyoji Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine?
- West of the Reioden's inner sanctuary, between the Nobu and Aki Tennosha and the Onori Tennosha.
- When was the Myokyoji Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine built?
- In 1921. It was moved in 1979.
- What should I look at on the Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine?
- The three-stepped brackets with double tail rafters carved as a dragon above clouds, and the carving that fills the porch.
- Who built the Myokyoji Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine?
- Asakusaya Kojiro, the local carpenter who also built the Arakuma Tennosha, according to an Okayama City article.
Basic Information
| Name | Myokyoji Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine (妙教寺羽弥御崎天王社) |
|---|---|
| Location | 712 Takamatsu Inari, Kita Ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 33-0189 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009/01/08 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, hip-and-gable cypress-bark roof with dormer gable; building area 2.2 square metres |
| Owner | Saijo Inarisan Myokyoji (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior can be seen freely in the grounds (no charge); interior closed |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Myokyoji Hayamisaki Tennosha Shrine
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007572
- Okayama City — Modern Japanese-style architecture at Saijo Inari Myokyoji, by Yasukawa Mitsuru (Japanese)
- https://www.city.okayama.jp/kankou/cmsfiles/contents/0000005/5279/000179262.pdf
- Saijo Inari official site — Seventy-Seven Subsidiary Shrines (Japanese)
- https://inari.ne.jp/facility/250/
- Saijo Inari official site — Former main sanctuary, Reioden (Japanese)
- https://inari.ne.jp/facility/252/
Last verified: 2026.10.01
