Kanda Shrine Mizugaki Fence

A Lattice Fence of 1937 Around the Sanctuary

The Kanda Shrine Mizugaki Fence (神田神社瑞垣, Kanda Jinja Mizugaki) is the steel-framed reinforced-concrete fence of 1937 that encloses the main hall of Kanda Shrine (Kanda Myōjin) in Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo, and it was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 September 2003. It runs for 60 metres.

Mizugaki is the term for the fence that marks off a sacred enclosure. The Kanda Shrine Mizugaki Fence bends around the main hall between the shinsenjo on the east and the treasure house on the west, closing the north side and both flanks, with a gate at the centre of the north run. It was completed three years after the shrine buildings of 1934, which makes it the only one of the eight registered structures with a different construction date.

Why the Fence Was Registered

The Kanda Shrine Mizugaki Fence is registration number 13-0154. Unlike the main hall and worship hall, which were registered as works that set a standard in design, it was registered under the criterion for structures that contribute to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it indispensable to the composition of the northern half of the complex; what earned the listing is the way it defines the outline of the whole group rather than any single flourish of design.

It is a see-through fence (Sukibei) whose bays are open enough to show what lies inside. Its posts are tied by three tiers of horizontal Nageshi beams, at the foot, at waist height and at the top of the openings, and projecting arms (Udeki) carry an outer beam that supports the eaves. Above, rafters spaced well apart hold a roof of tile-profile copper.

Each bay is split into two zones. The upper half is filled with vertical lattice (Renji-mado), while the lower panel carries diagonal cross-battens (Tasuki) set in closely paired groups.

What to Look For

The cross-battens in the lower panels are the first thing to notice. Their repeated X shapes, bay after bay, play against the upright lines of the lattice above. When you walk around the east or west side of the worship hall, the Kanda Shrine Mizugaki Fence is the long horizontal screen in front of the main hall.

Through the gaps in the lattice, the sanctuary shows. The fence closes the sacred ground without hiding it completely, and that partial view is the whole point of a sukibei.

Look up at the eaves as well. The arms, the outer beam and the widely spaced rafters give the fence a lighter look than the densely rafted halls behind it; set the two side by side and the difference in rank between a main building and its enclosure is easy to read.

Visiting the Fence

The Kanda Shrine Mizugaki Fence is seen from the outside. The ground within is the sacred enclosure of the main hall and is not presented as an area visitors may enter, and there is no indication that the gate in the north run is open for passage.

The shrine gives no photography rules specific to the fence. If you photograph the sanctuary through the lattice, hold off while ceremonies are taking place. Directions and general visiting information are on the Kanda Shrine page.