Nagata Shrine Heihaiden

Worship Hall and Offering Hall Under One Roofline

The Nagata Shrine Heihaiden (長田神社幣拝殿, Nagata Jinja Heihaiden) is a late Edo-period hall standing directly in front of the main hall of Nagata Shrine in Higashimachi 1-chome, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture; it was moved here from the former shrine site in 1924 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 November 2018. The name combines haiden, the worship hall where visitors pray, and heiden, the offering hall behind it, which here form a single 41-square-metre building.

The haiden at the front is three bays wide and two deep under a hip-and-gable roof, entered from the long side in the manner called Hirairi. From its rear projects the heiden, two bays by one, also hip-and-gable, and a veranda runs round the whole. The roof is sheet metal.

The dating varies with the source. The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives late Edo, a range of 1751 to 1830. The shrine's history dates the worship hall to 1741 and says the offering hall was added in 1924.

Why the Heihaiden Was Registered

The Nagata Shrine Heihaiden is registration number 31-0247, listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency notes its square posts and restrained, uncluttered design, and calls it the core of the shrine's solemn frontage.

The layout explains why. Pass through the Shinmon gate and the heihaiden is what faces you. The main hall behind it is closed off by the lattice fence, so in practice this is the building worshippers stand before. At the back it connects to the main hall through the middle gate, so heihaiden, gate and main hall form one continuous axis.

According to the shrine, when the buildings were moved in 1924 the worship hall was widened and the offering hall built on as part of the same structure. The combination follows the form of the worship and offering halls at Tottori Tōshōgū, the shrine whose founding in 1650 had forced Nagata Shrine to move once before.

What to Look For at the Heihaiden

Standing in front of the Nagata Shrine Heihaiden, notice the posts. They are square in section, and the frame they make is straight-lined and sparing, quite unlike the delicate eaves of the main hall behind. The three front bays are evenly spaced, meeting the line of the approach head on.

Walk round to the side and you see two hip-and-gable roofs in sequence: the larger one over the worship hall, then a lower one over the offering hall. That step in the roofline tells you from outside that two rooms share one building.

Inside, the worship hall measures 12 tatami mats and the offering hall 6, with the offering hall floor set one step higher. If you go in for a prayer ceremony, you feel the floor rising as you move towards the deities.

Visiting the Heihaiden

The Nagata Shrine Heihaiden faces the approach, and everyday worship takes place in front of it. The exterior can be seen at any time, but Tottori Prefecture lists the interior as closed. The way in is to request a prayer ceremony: the shrine explains that you apply at the shrine office, are admitted to the worship hall, and the prayer takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The shrine asks that enquiries about the offering fee be made by phone.

Souvenir photography is allowed, but follow the priests' instructions during prayers and weddings, and ask before photographing inside. Directions and general visiting information are on the Nagata Shrine page.