Tenman Shrine

What the two subsidiary shrine halls of Tenman Shrine are

The two subsidiary shrine halls of Tenman Shrine (天満神社 末社2棟), popularly Wakaura Tenmangū, in Wakaura, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture, are a pair of small sanctuaries from the Keichō era (1596 to 1615), the Taga Shrine Main Hall and the Tenshō Kōtai Jingū Toyouke Daijingū Main Hall, designated together in 1974 under the name Tenman Shrine as one Important Cultural Property of two buildings.

A massha is a minor shrine attached to a larger one. At Tenman Shrine the two stand side by side inside a protective shelter, an ōiya, behind the main hall and to its east. The Taga Shrine hall is a one-bay building in the Kasuga-zukuri style; the Tenshō Kōtai Jingū Toyouke Daijingū hall is two bays wide in the Nagare-zukuri style. Both are roofed in Hiwadabuki cypress bark. Tenshō Kōtai Jingū and Toyouke Daijingū are the names of the Inner and Outer Shrines of Ise, here enshrined together in one building.

Readings differ between sources: the Agency for Cultural Affairs gives Tenshō Kōtai Jingū, while Wakayama City reads the same characters as Amaterasu Kōtai Jingū.

Why the subsidiary shrine halls of Tenman Shrine are an Important Cultural Property

No record gives a construction date. Wakayama City judges from their style and workmanship that they belong to Asano Yoshinaga's rebuilding of Tenman Shrine in the Keichō era. The shrine says the origins of the subsidiary shrines are unknown, that tradition places them here as early as the Heian period, and that they were moved to their present site when the main hall was rebuilt.

The Agency's commentary notes that the two Tenman Shrine halls are small and differ in form, yet share very similar details, with abundant ornament and a distinct regional character. It also points out that the main hall and tower gate, built at about the same time, were already designated. The pair was added on May 21, 1974, completing the protection of the shrine's early seventeenth-century buildings.

One detail does not agree between sources. The structure field of the Agency's database and Wakayama City both call the Tenshō Kōtai Jingū Toyouke Daijingū hall nagare-zukuri, but the Agency's own commentary calls it kasuga-zukuri. This article follows the structure field and the city.

What to look for at the subsidiary shrine halls of Tenman Shrine

The difference shows in the roofs. In kasuga-zukuri, used for the Taga Shrine hall, the gable end faces the front and a small canopy is added over the steps. In nagare-zukuri, used for the Tenshō Kōtai Jingū Toyouke Daijingū hall, the long side faces the front and the front slope of the roof simply carries on down to form the canopy. Side by side, one front shows a peaked triangle and the other a long, gentle slope.

Wakayama City draws attention to the details. Both halls sit on sill beams and have a Hama-en platform at the front. The carved Kaerumata blocks and the zōbana, elephant-head beam ends on the canopy posts, show techniques the city calls advanced for their time. The Agency, too, singles out how richly the small buildings are decorated.

Use the Agency's observation as a guide: different forms, similar details. Once you have told the two roofs apart, move on to the carved blocks and beam ends and look for what they have in common.

Visiting the subsidiary shrine halls of Tenman Shrine

Because the Tenman Shrine subsidiary halls stand inside their shelter, you see them from outside it. No access to the inside of the shelter or special opening is announced.

The shrine publishes no rules on photography. Stand back a little so that you do not block people who come to pray at the small shrines. Directions and opening hours for the precinct are on the Tenman Shrine (Wakayama) page.