Nagao Hachiman Shrine

About Nagao Hachiman Shrine

Nagao Hachiman Shrine is a Shinto shrine rebuilt in 1916, halfway up the mountain 神南山 in the Agenosho area of Suo-Oshima Town, Oshima District, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nine of its structures, led by the main hall and worship hall and including a torii and a bridge, were registered together as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (structures) on December 3, 2024 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The name is read Nagao Hachimangu.

The owner is the religious corporation Nagao Hachiman Shrine (Yamaguchi Prefecture).

The Rebuilding of 1916

According to Yamaguchi Prefecture, the shrine buildings were rebuilt in 1916 because the old ones had decayed. Choshu carpenters, known for going from Suo-Oshima to work in Shikoku, took part in the building, and the richly decorated main hall and worship hall are prized as models of design.

The main hall, the middle hall and offering hall, and the worship hall stand in a line facing east. The offering-preparation hall and the waiting hall stand as a pair south and north of the middle hall, and a lattice fence encloses the main hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A stone torii of 1915 marks the entrance to the approach, and in the middle of the grounds are a water pavilion of about the same year and the Miyuki Bridge, built over the pond in 1937 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Nine Registered Structures

All nine were registered on December 3, 2024. The main hall and worship hall were registered as models of design, and the other seven as structures contributing to the historic landscape of the country (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

• Main Hall: 1916, three-bay nagare-style with a cypress-bark roof, three-step bracket sets and carvings along the eaves (35-0124)
• Middle Hall and Offering Hall: 1916, gabled copper roof, between the main hall and worship hall (35-0125)
• Worship Hall: 1916, hip-and-gable copper roof, karahafu porch with openwork and carved figures (35-0126)
• Offering-Preparation Hall: 1916, hip-and-gable tiled roof, south of the middle hall (35-0127)
• Waiting Hall: 1916, hip-and-gable tiled roof, north of the middle hall (35-0128)
• Lattice Fence: 1916, gabled copper roof, 25 metres in total (35-0129)
• Water Pavilion: about 1915, gabled tiled roof (35-0130)
• Miyuki Bridge: 1937, arched bridge of reinforced concrete and stone, 4.3 metres long (35-0131)
• Torii: 1915, stone myojin torii, 6.9 metres high (35-0132)

Visiting and Location

Nagao Hachiman Shrine is a working shrine, and its buildings and torii can be seen from outside when visiting. No information on visiting hours or interior access has been published, so please be considerate of worshippers.

The shrine buildings are at Jinnan and the torii at Miyazaki, Nishi-Agenosho, Suo-Oshima Town. Each structure is described in its own article.