Ozu Shrine Main Hall

A Late Muromachi Shrine Hall by Lake Biwa

The Ozu Shrine Main Hall (小津神社本殿, Ozu Jinja honden) is the main hall of Ozu Shrine in Sugiecho, Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture, built around the Daiei era (1521 to 1527) of the late Muromachi period, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on April 14, 1906 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a three-bay nagare-style hall with a one-bay entrance canopy and a cypress-bark roof; designation number 00382, owned by Ozu Shrine.

The 1526 Rebuilding and the Halberd Festival

According to a sightseeing map of Moriyama, Ozu Shrine is an old shrine with a broad forest like a primeval wood, and shrine tradition says the main hall was rebuilt in 1526.

The map notes that a halberd festival (naginata matsuri) is offered every May; it is said to have begun when the hall was rebuilt after being swept away by a great flood.

Why It Was Designated

The Ozu Shrine Main Hall was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1906. The Moriyama sightseeing map describes it as showing the Muromachi style, both plain and graceful.

What to Look For

It is a nagare-style hall three bays wide, with a one-bay canopy at the front and a cypress-bark roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Look at the long forward sweep of the roof and the soft texture of the bark.

The hall stands in the wooded shrine grounds (Moriyama City).

Visiting

Ozu Shrine is a working shrine, and no information on visiting hours or opening of the main hall has been published. Please be considerate of worshippers.

The shrine is in Sugiecho, Moriyama City. Enquiries go to Ozu Shrine (077-585-0855).