What the Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall is
The Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall (建水分神社本殿, Takemikumari Jinja Honden) is a mid-Muromachi period sanctuary at Takemikumari Shrine in Suibun, Chihayaakasaka Village, Osaka Prefecture, made up of three buildings joined by covered corridors and protected since April 7, 1900, today as an Important Cultural Property.
The Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall stands on the slope above and behind the worship hall. The central hall is a one-bay Kasuga-zukuri sanctuary; the left and right halls on either side are two-bay Nagare-zukuri sanctuaries; all three are roofed in Hiwadabuki cypress bark. The Agency for Cultural Affairs treats the three as a single designation and notes the corridors linking them, which run low between the halls and turn them into one long shrine front.
According to the shrine, five deities are enshrined. The principal deity, Ame-no-Minakanushi, occupies the central hall; the left hall holds Ame-no-Mikumari and Mizuhanome, and the right hall Kuni-no-Mikumari and Seoritsuhime. Each of the side halls is divided lengthwise into two chambers, one per bay, so with the single seat in the center there are five in all.
Why the Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall is an Important Cultural Property
Its first claim is the way three buildings are combined. Kasuga-zukuri faces you with its gable end and a canopy over the steps; nagare-zukuri faces you with its long side, its front roof slope sweeping down over the entrance. They belong to different families of shrine design. At Takemikumari Shrine a kasuga-zukuri hall sits at the center, flanked by two nagare-zukuri halls, with corridors tying them together. The shrine describes this arrangement as having no parallel elsewhere, and the style is sometimes named after the shrine itself, written 水分造.
The shrine adds that the structural details are finely made and have long been regarded as a model of building. The 1900 designation was as a specially protected building under the Ancient Temples and Shrines Preservation Law, and according to the shrine it was the first shrine building in Osaka Prefecture to be so designated. Under the present Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties it is an Important Cultural Property.
There are two views on its date. The shrine holds that the Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall is the sanctuary built in 1334, when Kusunoki Masashige moved the shrine uphill on the orders of Emperor Go-Daigo. The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates all three buildings to the mid-Muromachi period, the century after that. It is best to keep the tradition of Masashige's relocation separate from the dating of the buildings that stand today.
What to look for at the Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall
Watch how the roofs turn. The central hall, being kasuga-zukuri, points its triangular gable toward you with a canopy in front. The two side halls, being nagare-zukuri, run their ridges sideways and stretch the front slope forward. A gable in the middle and long eaves on either side give the layered cypress-bark roofs a lively rhythm.
Look at the corridors too. The shrine says they have board walls at the back, stand open at the front, and carry low roofs. Pitched a step below the three halls, those roofs join the buildings without blurring their outlines, so each hall stays distinct while the whole reads as one sanctuary.
Finally, count the bays on the side halls. Each has two openings across the front, and each opening corresponds to a separate chamber and deity inside. The two-bay form is the architecture of two gods sharing one hall.
Visiting the Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall
The Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall is normally closed, and visitors cannot go up to it. According to the shrine, ordinary worshippers go only as far as the worship hall below. From there you look up the slope and can see only parts of the cypress-bark roofs and eaves. No opening of the interior or special viewing is announced.
The shrine publishes no photography policy. The space in front of the worship hall is a place of prayer, so take pictures when no one is praying and refrain during ceremonies. Directions and visiting conditions for the precinct are on the Takemikumari Shrine page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Osaka
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall
- [ USJ Tickets Osaka Castle & Dotonbori Food Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I see the Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall?
- You cannot go up to it. Ordinary worshippers go only as far as the worship hall below, from where parts of the roofs are visible up the slope. No opening of the interior is announced.
- When was the Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates all three buildings to the mid-Muromachi period. The shrine holds that Kusunoki Masashige built them in 1334 on the orders of Emperor Go-Daigo.
- When was the Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall designated?
- It was designated on April 7, 1900, as a specially protected building under the Ancient Temples and Shrines Preservation Law, and is now an Important Cultural Property. The shrine says it was the first shrine building in Osaka Prefecture to be designated.
- What styles are the three buildings of the Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall?
- The central hall is one-bay kasuga-zukuri and the left and right halls are two-bay nagare-zukuri, all roofed in cypress bark and linked by low corridors open at the front.
- Which deities are enshrined in the Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall?
- Five: Ame-no-Minakanushi in the central hall, Ame-no-Mikumari and Mizuhanome in the left hall, and Kuni-no-Mikumari and Seoritsuhime in the right hall, whose interiors are each divided into two chambers.
Basic Information
| Name | Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall (central, left and right halls) |
|---|---|
| Location | Oaza Suibun, Chihayaakasaka Village, Minamikawachi District, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | April 7, 1900 |
| Quantity | 3 buildings |
| Dimensions | Unknown (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Owner | Takemikumari Shrine |
| Public Access | Closed (ordinary worship only as far as the worship hall) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall (central hall)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2232
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall (left hall)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2233
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall (right hall)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/2234
- Cultural Heritage Online: Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall (central hall)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/201159
- Cultural Heritage Online: Takemikumari Shrine Main Hall (right hall)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/147431
- Chihayaakasaka Village: Takemikumari Shrine (Japanese)
- https://www.vill.chihayaakasaka.osaka.jp/kakuka/kyoiku/syakaikyoiku/bunnkazai/9114.html
- Takemikumari Shrine official site: Precinct guide (Japanese)
- https://takemikumari.com/visit/
- Takemikumari Shrine official site: History (Japanese)
- https://takemikumari.com/history/
Last verified: 2026.10.04
Cultural Treasures in the Same Area
All are within walking distance in the same area, so we recommend visiting them together.
- Takemizumi Shrine Main Hall (Right Honor) 0.00 km
- Takemizumi Shrine Main Hall (Central Hall) 0.01 km
- Takemizumi Shrine Main Hall (Left Hall) 0.01 km
