Nine metres of stone at the foot of the hill
Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate (荒神山神社鳥居, Kōjinyama Jinja Torii) is the stone gateway at the foot of Mount Kojin in Kiyosakicho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, erected in 1909 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2017.
It follows the myojin form, the type whose top lintel curves upward at the ends. Height and span are the same figure, 9.0 metres each. Stone pillars about 86 centimetres in diameter rise from footing stones, set with a slight inward lean called Uchikorobi, and are locked together by the tie beam, the lower lintel and the curved top lintel.
Of the six registered structures at Kojinyama Shrine, this is the only one that is not on the summit. Its address, 1872 Kiyosakicho, differs from the 1931 of the halls above.
Raised by local subscription
Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate carries registration number 25-0397 and was listed as a structure contributing to the historic character of the national landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a large stone myojin torii, raised on the initiative of local people, that carries the history of the shrine into the present.
The date places it late in the sequence. The main hall above went up in 1879 and the worship hall in 1895; the gate came thirty years after the first of them. The halls were the shrine's own building campaign, while this gate is recorded as the work of local subscribers.
In stone construction the inward lean of the pillars is what makes a gate of this size stand. Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate carries a 9.0 metre structure on two leaning shafts less than a metre thick, with no timber anywhere in it, which sets it apart from the five wooden buildings registered on the same day.
At the Honzaka trailhead
Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate stands where the main approach, called Honzaka, begins to climb. Beside it is a worship pavilion built so that people who could not manage the ascent might pray towards the summit from below; the pavilion is a Hikone City cultural property. Gate and pavilion together make the threshold of the mountain.
That threshold was rebuilt in 2026. Between June and September the approach was laid with stone paving and compacted granite sand, work completed on 18 September 2026. The path used to run with water in heavy rain; anyone passing under the gate to start the climb now has firmer footing.
Drivers heading for the summit use the forest roads on the east and west flanks and never pass this spot, so seeing Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate means making a separate trip to the trailhead. Being an open structure it has no interior and no access restriction. On the evening of 29 June, the eve of the shrine's great festival, stalls line the approach from the gate to the pavilion.
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Q&A
- Where is Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate?
- At the foot of Mount Kojin, where the Honzaka approach begins, at 1872 Kiyosakicho. It is well away from the halls on the summit, and a city-designated worship pavilion stands beside it.
- How large is Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate?
- Height 9.0 metres and span 9.0 metres, the two dimensions being equal. The pillars are about 86 centimetres in diameter and lean slightly inward.
- When was Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate built?
- In 1909, thirty years after the main hall on the summit and fourteen years after the worship hall.
- Who paid for Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs it was raised on the initiative of local people, and it is valued as a large stone myojin torii that carries the shrine's history.
- Will I see Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate if I drive to the summit?
- No. The forest roads bypass the trailhead entirely. Seeing the gate requires a separate visit to the foot of the mountain.
Basic Information
| Name | Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate (荒神山神社鳥居) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1872 Kiyosakicho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structures), registration number 25-0397 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone myojin torii; height 9.0 metres; span 9.0 metres; pillars about 86 centimetres in diameter |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Kojinyama Shrine |
| Public Access | An open outdoor structure, freely visible at the trailhead |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011523
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kojinyama Shrine Torii Gate
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/289393
- Kojinyama Shrine official site: completion of the Honzaka approach works
- https://kojinyama.org/本坂登山口 参道整備竣工/
- Hikone City: list of municipally designated cultural properties
- https://www.city.hikone.lg.jp/kanko/rekishi/9/6/7677.html
Last verified: 2026.09.20
