Hiyoshi Sanno-sha Shrine Main Hall (Okazaki City Designated Cultural Property)
The Hiyoshi Sanno-sha Shrine Main Hall of Takisan-ji Temple was built in the first half of the 12th century by the monk Bussen Eigu, who invited a deity of Omi (present-day Shiga Prefecture) to reside within. The Hiyoshi Sanno-sha Shrine Main Hall retains characteristics of the Syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, a combination of worshiping Japanese deities and a belief in Buddhism.
This hall uses the rare Shichikensha Nagare-zukuri architectural style, in which the inner sanctuary, where the sacred objects are enshrined within the main hall, is not divided by pillars, but is constructed as a single, long, integrated room.
This main hall is believed to have been built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo shogunate, and repaired by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun. A nonprofit organization consisting of local volunteers dismantled the entire structure and carried out conservation, repair and ground improvement work, completed in March 2021.
The Takisan-ji Temple Oni Matsuri Festival, held on the Saturday closest to the Lunar New Year, begins with the Naginata Oreiburi, a pole-arm ceremony held in front of the Hiyoshi Sanno-sha and the Takisan Toshogu Shrines, to ward off evil spirits.
The torches used in the Fire Festival, part of the Takisan-ji Oni Matsuri Festival, are lit in the front garden of Hiyoshi Sanno-sha Shrine. The shrine’s main hall is a sacred place and plays an important role in the festival.
Okazaki Castle Outer Moat Enclosure >
