Former Nakamura Family Residence Mitakesha Shrine
The Former Nakamura Family Residence Mitakesha Shrine (旧中村家住宅御嶽社, Kyū-Nakamura-ke Jūtaku Mitakesha) is a small household shrine built between 1912 and 1918, in the early Taishō period, to the west of the main house on a village headman's estate in Ōmano-chō, Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 14, 2021. It is a single-storey timber structure roofed in copper, with a building area of just 3.4 square metres and a protective shelter over it.
The shrine proper stands on a base of dressed stone. It is one bay square, with a gabled roof (Kirizuma-zukuri) and its entrance in the gable end (Tsumairi). The verge of the gable on the front side is drawn forward to form a porch roof (Kōhai), and a veranda with a railing runs across the front and sides, closed off at the back by small side screens.
Over it all rises an open-sided shelter, also one bay square, with a copper-clad hip-and-gable roof.
Why the Mitakesha Shrine was registered
The Mitakesha Shrine was registered as a building that serves as a model of design, one of only two on the estate listed on that basis, alongside the earthen storehouse. The Agency for Cultural Affairs praises it as finely made for so small a shrine, with carving throughout.
Koshigaya City's leaflet says the Nakamuras enshrined here the deity of the Mitake shrine in the Okutama mountains west of Tokyo, worshipped as a guard against theft and evil and a giver of good harvests. It was the family's own protector, woven into the life of the house.
The sources disagree on one point: which way the shrine faces. The Agency's description says the shrine proper faces east, yet the caption on the same database's photograph reads "front (west side)". It is worth checking on the spot.
What to look for
At 3.4 square metres the shrine is tiny, but the detail is dense. Start at the front and see how the gable's verge simply runs on to become the porch roof, with no separate roof added. It is an economical, elegant solution.
The frog-leg strut (Kaerumata) on the front is carved, and the Agency's record photographs it. Work your way round from there to the railing and the side screens, looking between the posts of the shelter.
Because the shelter is open on all four sides, you can take in the whole shrine from outside, and see its two copper roofs, one sheltering the other.
Visiting the Mitakesha Shrine
The Mitakesha Shrine is viewed from outside within the grounds; it is not a building you enter.
The city's facility guide lists the main house, gatehouse, stone storehouse and earthen storehouse as the buildings with displays, and the shrine is not among them. Walk round to the west side of the main house to see it with its shelter.
Opening hours, admission and directions are covered on the Former Nakamura Family Residence page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Saitama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Former Nakamura Family Residence Mitakesha Shrine
- [ Kawagoe Little Edo & Moominvalley Park ]
Q&A
- Can I see the Former Nakamura Family Residence Mitakesha Shrine?
- Yes, from outside within the grounds, on the west side of the main house. It is not a building visitors enter.
- What was enshrined in the Former Nakamura Family Residence Mitakesha Shrine?
- According to Koshigaya City, the deity of the Mitake shrine in the Okutama mountains, worshipped as a protector against theft and evil and a bringer of good harvests.
- When was the Nakamura Mitakesha Shrine built?
- In the early Taishō period, between 1912 and 1918. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 14, 2021.
- What details should I look for at the Former Nakamura Family Residence Mitakesha Shrine?
- The porch roof formed by extending the gable's verge, the carved frog-leg strut on the front, and the railed veranda with its side screens, all under an open-sided shelter.
- How do you pronounce Mitakesha, and how big is the Nakamura shrine?
- It is read Mitakesha. The shrine is a single-storey timber structure roofed in copper, with a building area of 3.4 square metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Nakamura Family Residence Mitakesha Shrine (旧中村家住宅御嶽社) |
|---|---|
| Location | 100-4 Omanocho 1-chome, Koshigaya, Saitama |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building), registration no. 11-0211 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber structure, copper roof, building area 3.4 square metres, with protective shelter |
| Owner | Koshigaya City |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable (site admission charged) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Former Nakamura Family Residence Mitakesha Shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00013955
- Ōmano-chō Former Nakamura Family Residence, facility guide (Koshigaya City)
- https://www.city.koshigaya.saitama.jp/toiawase/shisetsu/dentobunka/oomanocyounakamurake.html
- Registered Tangible Cultural Property: Ōmano-chō Former Nakamura Family Residence (Koshigaya City)
- https://www.city.koshigaya.saitama.jp/citypromotion/rekisibunka/bunkazai/tourokunooshirase.html
- Ōmano-chō Former Nakamura Family Residence leaflet (Koshigaya City, PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.koshigaya.saitama.jp/toiawase/shisetsu/dentobunka/oomanocyounakamurake_files_R3-ohmao-reaflet.pdf
Last verified: 2026.09.25
