What is the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall?
The Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall (鳥海山大物忌神社吹浦口ノ宮摂社月山神社本殿) is a single-bay Nagare-zukuri sanctuary of about 1711 on the top terrace of the shrine grounds in Fukura, Yuza Town, Yamagata Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2012.
The name is easy to misread. The characters 月山 usually refer to Mount Gassan, but here they are read Tsukiyama, and Yuza Town writes the enshrined deity as Tsukiyama no Kami. Sessha, rendered here as subsidiary, is a rank for shrines attached to a principal one.
The Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall stands just west of the Main Hall of Ōmonoimi, so it is the left-hand building when you face the pair. It is a single-storey wooden structure with a copper-plate roof covering 16 square meters, dated to around 1711 and restored in 1963.
Why the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall matters
Fukura has worshipped two deities together for more than a thousand years, which is why it is known as the Ryōsho, or Twin, Shrine. Yuza Town notes that in the Engishiki register of 927, the Ōmonoimi deity was ranked among the most eminent gods together with the Tsukiyama deity enshrined alongside it at Fukura. The Tsukiyama shrine now holds subsidiary status, but the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall is one half of that paired worship.
Like its twin, the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall was registered as a model of form. It matches the Main Hall in scale and design: round pillars, three-part bracket sets, a carved Kaerumata between the posts, and closely spaced rafters in a double layer at the eaves.
What the Agency for Cultural Affairs emphasizes is that the details are its own. The carvings on the wing panels, the kaerumata, the front panel, and the Gegyo gable pendant all differ from those on the Main Hall, and the bracket arms, with their small curved ends, and the patterns cut into the rainbow beams show an independent hand.
What to look for at the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall
Treat the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall and its twin as a spot-the-difference puzzle. Their outlines match, so every variation lives in the carving. Pick one element, such as the kaerumata or the side panels, and compare it on the left and right buildings.
Yuza Town chose a painted kaerumata from the core of the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall for the cover of its guide to the Mount Chōkai historic site, which says something about how highly the carving is regarded locally.
Look also at the ends of the bracket arms. Their tight curves give the hall a crisp silhouette, and the swirling motifs carved along the beams reward a closer look.
Visiting the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall
The Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall shares the fenced sacred area with the Main Hall, so visitors cannot enter the enclosure or see inside. Its exterior can be seen over the fence once you reach the Worship Hall terrace.
The Tsukiyama Shrine festival, with its sacred sake rite, is held on July 15. The day before, portable shrines of the two deities travel to Nishihama beach for the Ohamaide rite, and on the eve of the May festival the hanagasa dance is performed in front of the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall and its twin. Schedules can change, so check in advance.
No official guidance on photography was found; refrain during rites. Access and counter hours are covered on the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya page.
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Q&A
- How do you pronounce the name of the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall?
- 月山 is read Tsukiyama here, not Gassan. The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the reading sessha Tsukiyama jinja honden.
- Which deity is enshrined in the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall?
- Tsukiyama no Kami, the deity of Mount Gassan. Fukura has long worshipped this god together with Ōmonoimi, and the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall is the hall for the Tsukiyama deity.
- How is the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall different from the Main Hall beside it?
- The two share size and design. The differences are in the carvings of the wing panels, kaerumata, front panel, and gable pendant, and in the shape of the bracket arms and beam patterns.
- When was the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall built and registered?
- It dates to around 1711 and was restored in 1963. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2012 as a model of form.
- Are there festivals connected to the Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall?
- Yes. The Tsukiyama Shrine festival is held on July 15, and the Ohamaide rite, when the deity's portable shrine goes to the coast, takes place on July 14. Confirm dates with the shrine.
Basic Information
| Name | Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 Nunokura, Fukura, Yuza-machi, Akumi-gun, Yamagata Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | 2012 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey wooden structure, copper-plate roof, building area 16 m² |
| Owner | Religious Corporation Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine |
| Public Access | Grounds open to worshippers; interior not open to the public |
References
- Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009123
- Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine Fukura Kuchinomiya Subsidiary Tsukiyama Shrine Main Hall (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/239906
- Guide to the Mount Chokai Historic Site, PDF (Yuza Town Board of Education)
- https://www.town.yuza.yamagata.jp/uploads/public/archive_0000003229_00/%E3%80%90PDF%E3%80%91%E5%8F%B2%E8%B7%A1%E9%B3%A5%E6%B5%B7%E5%B1%B1%E6%A1%88%E5%86%85.pdf
- Enshrined deities (Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine)
- https://oomonoimijinja.verse.jp/gosaijin.html
- Festivals (Chokaisan Omonoimi Shrine)
- https://oomonoimijinja.verse.jp/saiji.html
Last verified: 2026.09.16
