Five bays for seven priestly ancestors
Sumiyoshi Taisha Gosha Main Hall (住吉大社末社五社本殿) is one of the small branch shrines deep in the garden at Sumiyoshi Taisha in Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka, built in 1964 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2018/05/10. It is a five-bay nagare-style shrine with a tiled roof and a floor area of 11 square metres.
Gosha enshrines the ancestral gods of seven priestly families of Sumiyoshi. According to the shrine, these families descend from the seven children of Tamomi no Sukune, the first high priest who enshrined the Sumiyoshi gods. Festivals are held on the first Day of the Monkey in April and again in November.
A wide shrine among one-bay neighbours
A veranda runs across the front with five wooden steps, the gables have crossed struts and a pendant of the same pattern as the main halls, and each bay has an open outer space with a board door to the inner room behind. The official description calls the Sumiyoshi Taisha Gosha Main Hall a point of variety among the small shrines at the rear of the grounds.
Almost all the shrines in the garden are one bay wide, gable-entry buildings echoing the main halls. This one spreads five bays across its front in the nagare manner, with its roof sloping the other way. It keeps the crossed struts and pendant of the main halls in its gables while stretching the plan sideways, another variation on the Sumiyoshi theme.
Built in 1964, it is the most recent of Sumiyoshi's registered buildings. The protected buildings here range from the early Edo period to the Showa era, and the Agency registered this one as part of the landscape formed by the small shrines.
What to look for, and visiting
The Sumiyoshi Taisha Gosha Main Hall is in the northeast of the grounds, deep in the garden near the Godosha Main Hall. Go round to the front to see the row of five board doors and the steps up to the veranda; from the side you can see the gable pendant shared with the main halls.
The exterior can be seen during opening hours, at no charge. Opening hours and directions are on the Sumiyoshi Taisha page.
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Q&A
- Who is enshrined at the Sumiyoshi Taisha Gosha Main Hall?
- The ancestral gods of seven priestly families of Sumiyoshi, descended from the children of the first high priest, Tamomi no Sukune.
- What is distinctive about the Gosha Main Hall?
- It is a five-bay nagare-style shrine among mostly one-bay neighbours, while keeping the main halls' crossed struts and pendant in its gables.
- When was the Sumiyoshi Taisha Gosha Main Hall built?
- In 1964. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2018/05/10.
- When are the Gosha festivals?
- On the first Day of the Monkey in April and in November.
- Where is the Sumiyoshi Taisha Gosha Main Hall?
- In the northeast of the grounds, deep in the garden near the Godosha Main Hall.
Basic Information
| Name | Sumiyoshi Taisha Gosha Main Hall (住吉大社末社五社本殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | National Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure); registration number 27-729 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2018/05/10 (Heisei 30) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, five-bay nagare-style shrine, tiled roof; floor area 11 square metres |
| Owner | Sumiyoshi Taisha (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible during shrine hours; no charge |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Sumiyoshi Taisha Gosha Main Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012403
- Osaka Prefecture — Designation report on Sumiyoshi Taisha, with a list of its protected buildings (Japanese)
- https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp/documents/26540/01_sumiyoshitaisya_sitei.pdf
- Sumiyoshi Taisha official site — Branch shrines (massha)
- https://www.sumiyoshitaisha.net/grounds/massya.html
- Sumiyoshi Taisha official site — April events
- https://www.sumiyoshitaisha.net/events/annualevents/04.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
