What Is the Ube Shrine Lattice Fence?
The Ube Shrine Lattice Fence (宇倍神社透塀, Ube Jinja Sukibei) is the roofed Sukibei fence enclosing the main hall of Ube Shrine in Kokufu-cho Miyanoshita, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture; it was built in 1922 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 6 March 2024. Its registration number is 31-0285, and it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The Ube Shrine Lattice Fence is a timber structure with a Dōban-buki copper roof and runs for 61 meters in total. It was altered in the early Showa period and again in 1973. Of the four registered structures at the shrine, the fence and the gate are the two classed as structures other than buildings.
From the Offering Hall Around the Sanctuary
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the fence begins at both sides of the offering hall and runs back to wrap around the main hall. Because it starts at the offering hall, the building that links the worship hall to the main hall, one continuous line separates the side where worshippers stand from the side where the deity resides.
There is a doorway on each side of the front. From those points the 61 meters of fence continue without a break past the flanks of the main hall and around its rear.
How the Fence Is Built
The Ube Shrine Lattice Fence stands on a base of cut stone. A timber sill lies on the stone, and posts rise from it at intervals of one bay. Udeki brackets project from the tops of the posts to carry the eave beam, which supports a small copper roof.
The upper part of each bay is a Renji-mado slatted window. The lower part is closed with vertical boards, their joints covered by thin battens. Open above and solid below, the fence surrounds the main hall without hiding it, which is exactly what the word sukibei, a see-through fence, describes.
A Setting for the Main Hall
The agency writes that the Ube Shrine Lattice Fence and the main hall together create the historic scenery of the shrine. The row of slatted windows draws a horizontal band around the hall, and above it rise the cypress-bark roof and the crossed chigi finials. The fence makes the main hall read as a set-apart inner place.
The main hall dates from 1898 and the fence from 1922, 24 years later. The Meiji sanctuary was enclosed by its Taisho fence after the fact.
Seeing the Ube Shrine Lattice Fence
The Ube Shrine Lattice Fence is seen from the outside; the area within is the precinct of the main hall and is closed to visitors. Because the fence runs back from both sides of the offering hall, walking around either side of the worship hall brings you out beside it, close enough to see the slatted windows, the battened boards and the stone base.
Through the slats you can glimpse the veranda and railing of the main hall. Rather than peering in, step back and take in the length of the fence as a whole; that is the view that explains why it was registered for its place in the landscape. Directions to the shrine are on the Ube Shrine page.
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Q&A
- When was the Ube Shrine Lattice Fence built?
- In 1922. It was altered in the early Showa period and again in 1973.
- How long is the Ube Shrine Lattice Fence?
- 61 meters in total. It runs from both sides of the offering hall and encloses the main hall.
- How is the Ube Shrine Lattice Fence constructed?
- Posts stand one bay apart on a sill laid over a cut-stone base, with brackets carrying a copper roof. Each bay has a slatted window above and battened vertical boards below.
- Can I go inside the Ube Shrine Lattice Fence?
- No. The area inside is the precinct of the main hall. You can walk along the outside and glimpse the main hall through the slats.
- When did the Ube Shrine Lattice Fence become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On 6 March 2024, as registration number 31-0285, for its contribution to the historic landscape.
Basic Information
| Name | Ube Shrine Lattice Fence (宇倍神社透塀, Ube Jinja Sukibei) |
|---|---|
| Location | 651 Miyanoshita, Kokufu-cho, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), Registration No. 31-0285 |
| Year Designated | 2024 (registered 6 March 2024) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Timber, copper roof, total length 61 meters |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Ube Shrine |
| Public Access | Visible from outside (area within the fence closed) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Ube Shrine Lattice Fence (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014926
- Database of National Cultural Properties: Ube Shrine Main Hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014924
- Grounds Map (Ube Shrine official website, Japanese)
- https://www.ubejinja.or.jp/new-sampai/map/
Last verified: 2026.09.27
