A Refined Reception Wing of a Historic Shrine
The Former Genshoden Hall of Sasaki Shrine (Shimofuen Garden) (沙沙貴神社旧源照殿（霜楓園）) is a single-storey timber reception wing built in 1919 at Sasaki Shrine in Jorakuji, Azuchi-cho, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, which in 2021 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a tiled roof and a building area of 67 square metres, moved around 1962, owned by Sasaki Shrine.
The Agency describes it as a formal room wing used as a waiting room for rites, standing outside the east gallery.
Structure
According to the Agency, it has a pantiled hip-and-gable roof, with eight- and six-mat rooms to the north and three- and four-and-a-half-mat rooms to the south, and an L-shaped veranda on the northeast.
The eight-mat room is a formal shoin room; the four-and-a-half-mat room has an alcove on the north and side shelves on the west; the three-mat room has a round lattice window on the south, fitted as a tea room.
What to Look For
The Agency calls it a refined modern reception wing. It combines a formal shoin room with a tea room, serving the shrine's guests and rites.
Sasaki Shrine says it plans to restore and use the building as Shimofuen.
Visiting the Former Genshoden Hall of Sasaki Shrine (Shimofuen Garden)
Sasaki Shrine gives its office hours as 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Check with the shrine for plans to open the former Genshoden.
The shrine, an ancient listed shrine regarded as the birthplace of the Sasaki clan, stands south of JR Azuchi Station.
Q&A
- When was the former Genshoden built?
- In 1919; it was moved around 1962.
- What was it used for?
- As a waiting room for shrine rites.
- How is it laid out?
- Four rooms including a formal shoin room and a tea room.
- What is Shimofuen?
- The name under which the shrine plans to restore and use the building.
- Where is Sasaki Shrine?
- In Azuchi, Omihachiman, south of JR Azuchi Station.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Genshoden Hall of Sasaki Shrine (Shimofuen Garden) (沙沙貴神社旧源照殿（霜楓園）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2 Yonotsubo, Jorakuji, Azuchi-cho, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2021/10/14 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, tiled roof, building area 67 square metres |
| Owner | Sasaki Shrine |
| Public Access | Check opening plans with the shrine |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Former Genshoden of Sasaki Shrine (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00014046
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Genshoden of Sasaki Shrine (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/583536
- Sasaki Shrine: Precinct Guide (Japanese)
- https://sasakijinja.or.jp/guide/
Last verified: 2026.09.28