Izanami Jinja Shrine

Overview

Izanami Jinja Shrine is a shrine located in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, and is designated as a Salkin-sha (shrine listed in the Engishiki, an ancient Japanese record). It originally stood at the site of present-day Dogo Park, near Dogo Onsen, on the southeastern tip of Dogo Mountain. It was relocated to its current location during the Kenmu era (1334-1336) due to the construction of Yuzuki Castle by Kono Morimori. The existing main hall was constructed in 1667 (Kanbun 7) by Matsudaira Sadanaga, the lord of the Matsuyama Domain, and is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. This magnificent hall, built in the rare Hachiman-zukuri style—only three examples remain nationwide—captivates visitors with its grandeur and beauty. The shrine's design is said to be modeled after Ishiyama-dera Hachimangu Shrine, with only three examples including Usa Hachiman-gu Shrine. The architectural style of the main hall is "Hachiman-zukuri," featuring two buildings, a rear hall (koden) and a front hall (zenden), connected front to back. The rear hall is considered the nighttime residence of the enshrined deity, while the front hall is the daytime residence. The rear hall is a kirizuma-zukuri (gabled roof) style, with hinoki-kawa-buki (thin cypress bark) roofing, 9 ken (unit of Japanese measurement) in length and 2 ken in width, arranged in a three-bay structure repeated three times. The front hall is a nagare-zukuri (flowing roof) style, with hinoki-kawa-buki roofing, 9 ken in length and 2 ken in width, and is designated as an Important Cultural Property. Besides the main hall, other Important Cultural Properties include the Shinden (prayer hall), the loumen (gate tower), the corridor, the tsukebei (fence), the main hall of the Takara Tamadare-sha subshrine, the main hall of the Tokiwa-sha Nitta Reisya subshrine, and stone lanterns.