A Cliff-Edge Office with a Cusped-Gable Porch
The Orihime Shrine Office (織姫神社社務所, Orihime Jinja Shamusho) is a single-storey timber shrine office built in 1937 at Orihime Shrine in Nishimiyacho, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, which in 2004 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single storey with a partial basement, a copper roof and a building area of 102 square metres; it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The Agency notes that it stands south of the kagura hall, linked to it by a corridor, and was designed by Kobayashi Fukutaro.
Structure
According to the Agency, it is six and a half bays long, with a hip-and-gable copper roof. A carriage porch with a cusped gable projects from the centre of the east side to form a formal entrance, and an eight-mat reception room with alcove and shelves lies at the west end of the south side.
Because it stands at the edge of a cliff, part has a reinforced concrete basement, so the south and west sides appear two storeys high.
Ashikaga City describes a copper roof imitating shingles and an entrance with a tie beam and strut, a board frog-leg strut, bearing blocks and carved brackets, with heart-shaped cut-outs in the beam ends. The ceiling is coffered, the floor is exposed-aggregate finish scored like paving, and the entrance has a two-step formal platform.
What to Look For
The cusped-gable porch and formal entrance are the face of the office. Look closely at the carved brackets and the heart-shaped cut-outs noted by the city.
Walk round to the cliff side to see how the basement makes the south and west sides look two storeys high, a response to the sloping site.
Visiting the Shrine Office
According to the Ashikaga tourism association, goshuin stamps are given at the office from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. No information on access to the interior as a building could be found.
Directions and information on the whole precinct are on the Orihime Shrine group page.
Q&A
- When was the Orihime Shrine Office built?
- In 1937.
- What are the features of the Orihime Shrine Office?
- A hip-and-gable building with a cusped-gable carriage porch; a basement at the cliff edge makes two sides look two storeys high.
- Where is the Orihime Shrine Office?
- South of the kagura hall, linked by a corridor.
- Where can I get a goshuin at Orihime Shrine?
- At the shrine office, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Who designed the Orihime Shrine Office?
- Kobayashi Fukutaro.
Basic Information
| Name | Orihime Shrine Office (織姫神社社務所) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3889 Nishimiyacho, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/6/9 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber with partial basement, copper roof, building area 102 square metres |
| Owner | Orihime Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Goshuin 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Orihime Shrine Office (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004124
- Ashikaga City: Orihime Shrine (Japanese)
- https://www.city.ashikaga.tochigi.jp/education/000029/000169/000627/p000939.html
- Ashikaga Tourism Association: Ashikaga Orihime Shrine (Japanese)
- https://www.ashikaga-kankou.jp/ashikaga-gosyuinl/detail/id=1079
Last verified: 2026.09.28
