Nagata Shrine Temizusha

The 1929 Pavilion Facing the Prayer Hall

The Nagata Shrine Temizusha (長田神社手水舎, Nagata Jinja Temizusha) is the 1929 purification pavilion standing just before the Shinmon gate of Nagata Shrine in Higashimachi 1-chome, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture, facing the prayer hall across the approach; it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 November 2018. It is a small structure, 2.9 metres by 2.4 metres, covering 7.0 square metres.

A temizusha (also read chōzuya) is where worshippers rinse their hands and mouth before praying. This one is open on all four sides under a gabled roof of pantiles. It is the only one of the eight registered structures at the shrine with a tiled roof; all the others are roofed in copper or sheet metal.

A Roof Over an Edo-Period Basin

The Nagata Shrine Temizusha is registration number 31-0253, listed for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, like the prayer hall opposite, it helps form the historic scene in front of the gate.

The stone basin inside is much older than its roof. According to the shrine, it was set up at the former site in Kamimachi in 1778 and moved here in the 1924 relocation. The roof over it was added in 1929, donated by Ōmura Kyūbei, the same benefactor who gave the lattice fence.

The square posts stand on foundation stones, their corners finished with the stepped chamfer called kichōmen-dori, and are tied by a curved tie beam at lintel height. On top of the posts sit Funahijiki brackets, which together with wave-shaped Kaerumata struts carry the eave beams. For a small open shelter, it follows the full grammar of shrine carpentry.

What to Look For at the Temizusha

At the Nagata Shrine Temizusha, look closely at the corners of the posts. The kichōmen chamfer cuts back each edge and adds a small step either side, so a fine line of shadow runs down all four posts.

Look up and you see the gentle bow of the tie beams between the posts and the wave-shaped struts above them. With no walls, the joinery is visible from every side.

Don't overlook the basin itself. It is about 150 years older than the roof, a stone carried from the old site that still greets worshippers under its Shōwa-era shelter.

Compare it with the prayer hall across the path: tile on one side, copper on the other, two quite different roof textures facing each other.

Visiting the Temizusha

The Nagata Shrine Temizusha stands beside the approach before the Shinmon gate and is there for anyone to use before worship. As it has no walls, its structure can be examined freely from outside.

Ordinary souvenir photography is allowed. Try to take pictures when no one is using the basin. Directions and general visiting information are on the Nagata Shrine page.