What the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall is
The Imamiya Shrine Main Hall (今宮神社本殿, Imamiya Jinja Honden) is a single-bay nagare-zukuri shrine hall built in 1915 at the back of Imamiya Shrine in Ikawacho Tsuji, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2016.
It is a one-storey timber building with a Dōban-buki copper-sheet roof and a building area of just 6.0 m², a little less than four tatami mats. The shinmon gate opens in front of it, the mizugaki fence surrounds it, and the worship hall stands before them both.
Built in the same year as the worship hall and the gate and fence, the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall is one part of a single shrine frontage. The page for Imamiya Shrine (Miyoshi) explains how the three fit together.
Why the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall was registered
The Imamiya Shrine Main Hall was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 1, 2016, under number 36-0130, for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The worship hall (36-0131) and the gate and fence (36-0132) were registered the same day.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs makes three points about it. The precinct sits on a slope reached by stone steps from the old Iyo Kaido road. The hall has a plain exterior with little ornament. And it was designed by Fukunaga Kakichi (福永嘉吉) of the Tokushima Prefectural Technical School. The Agency adds that the shrine reflects the prosperity Tsuji gained from the tobacco industry.
A named designer, and an institution behind him, is not what you expect to find attached to a shrine hall this small. It hints at the part a Taisho-era technical school played in the building of its region.
What to look for at the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall
Three places tell you most of what there is to know about the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall. Start at the tops of the posts. The beams rest on Funahijiki, short boat-shaped brackets, with no stacked bracket sets above them.
Then look at the gable, the triangular end of the roof. It is framed in Inoko-sasu, a pair of inclined struts rising from the tie beam to meet under the ridge.
Finally, the Gegyo board hangs beneath the bargeboards. According to the Agency, this pendant is the only decoration of note. If you are used to shrines covered in carving, the hall may look bare; the gain is that the sweep of the Nagare-zukuri roof and the few parts that make up the frame are easy to read.
Visiting the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall
The Imamiya Shrine Main Hall stands inside the fence and gate, so you normally see it from in front of the worship hall or from outside the fence. The top of the fence is latticed, and the roof and gable can be made out through it. No published notice says whether the interior is ever opened or whether photography is restricted.
To see the struts and the gegyo properly, step to one side of the fence and look at the hall on the diagonal rather than straight on. Directions to the precinct are on the Imamiya Shrine (Miyoshi) page.
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Q&A
- When was the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall built?
- In 1915, the same year as the worship hall and the gate and fence. All three were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in 2016.
- Who designed the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs names Fukunaga Kakichi of the Tokushima Prefectural Technical School.
- What style is the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall?
- A single-bay nagare-zukuri hall, one storey, in timber with a copper-sheet roof. Its building area is only 6.0 m².
- What details should I look for at the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall?
- The boat-shaped funahijiki brackets, the inoko-sasu struts in the gable and the gegyo pendant under the bargeboards. With little else in the way of ornament, the framing is easy to follow.
- Can visitors go up to the Imamiya Shrine Main Hall?
- It stands inside the fence and gate, so it is normally viewed from outside. Rules on interior access and photography could not be confirmed.
Basic Information
| Name | Imamiya Shrine Main Hall (今宮神社本殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 316-1 Tsuji, Ikawacho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2016-08-01 (Heisei 28) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 6.0 m² |
| Owner | Imamiya Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the shrine grounds (interior access and photography not confirmed) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Imamiya Shrine Main Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011214
- Cultural Heritage Online: Imamiya Shrine Main Hall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/241601
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Imamiya Shrine Worship Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011215
- Cultural Heritage Online: Imamiya Shrine Worship Hall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/269642
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Imamiya Shrine Shinmon Gate and Mizugaki Fence
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00011216
- Cultural Heritage Online: Imamiya Shrine Shinmon Gate and Mizugaki Fence
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/284243
Last verified: 2026.10.16
