Ten square metres between two halls
Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall (荒神山神社渡殿, Kōjinyama Jinja Wataridono) is the short linking building between the main hall and the worship hall at the summit precinct in Kiyosakicho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, built in 1895 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2017.
It runs two bays north to south by one bay across, Kirizuma-zukuri under copper sheet, single storey, covering just 10 square metres. Nothing else at Kojinyama Shrine is smaller.
The shrine's own website calls this building the heiden, the hall of offerings. The Agency for Cultural Affairs registered it as wataridono, a connecting passage. Both names fit: it is a corridor, and it is where offerings are presented on the way to the sanctuary.
Being small is the job
Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall holds registration number 25-0394, listed like its neighbours as a structure contributing to the historic character of the national landscape. The citation notes that its bracketing repeats the simple boat-shaped brackets of the worship hall, and calls the building one of the elements that compose the look of the complex. It was registered for its part in an ensemble, not for standing out.
Both side walls carry Nageshi tie rails at two heights, inside and out, with latticed windows between them. The floor is of planed boards and the ceiling is a Saobuchi-tenjō, boards held by slender exposed battens. A full architectural vocabulary is packed into a footprint the size of a small bedroom.
The repair dates are a clue to how the shrine thinks about these buildings. Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall was repaired in 1943 and 1996, the same two years as the main hall behind it. The pairing shows in the roofing too: main hall and connecting hall in copper, worship hall and offering hall in clay tile.
Only visible from the side
From the front this building hides. Standing where visitors pray, you see the worship hall, and of Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall only a sliver of roof.
Walk to the east or west side of the precinct and a low gabled roof appears, filling the gap between the two larger halls. The thing to watch is the height. The ridge here sits deliberately below the ridges in front and behind, and that step down is what keeps three buildings from reading as one long shed. The eye climbs from the worship hall, dips, and rises again to the sanctuary.
The latticed windows are on those side walls, so from close up a little of the dim interior shows. The interior itself is not open and the building cannot be entered. Directions and visiting conditions are on the Kojinyama Shrine page.
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Q&A
- What is Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall?
- The linking building between the main hall and the worship hall. It runs two bays by one, gabled under copper sheet, and covers 10 square metres.
- Why is Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall also called heiden?
- That is the name the shrine uses on its own website, referring to the presentation of offerings. The registered name is wataridono, read Kōjinyama Jinja Wataridono.
- What is inside Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall?
- A plank floor and a batten ceiling, with tie rails at two heights on both side walls and latticed windows between them. The interior is not open to visitors.
- When was Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall built?
- In 1895, the same year as the worship hall and the offering hall. It was repaired in 1943 and 1996, the same two years as the main hall.
- Where can I see Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall?
- From the east or west side of the precinct. The front view is blocked by the worship hall. From the side you see a low gabled roof set between the two larger halls.
Basic Information
| Name | Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall (荒神山神社渡殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1931 Kiyosakicho, Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structures), registration number 25-0394 |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two bays by one; gabled; copper-sheet roof; single storey timber; floor area 10 square metres |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Kojinyama Shrine |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the sides of the precinct. Interior closed and the building cannot be entered |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011520
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kojinyama Shrine Connecting Hall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/294210
- Kojinyama Shrine official site: new cultural property signboards
- https://kojinyama.org/文化財の案内板を設置/
Last verified: 2026.09.20
