Hosono jinja

Located on the southern side of Matsukawa Village, surrounded by fields, Hosono Shrine offers a view of the Northern Alps. A stone Myojin Torii gate stands beside the national highway, with a straight path leading to the shrine. It is said that in the Meiji era, the Suwa Shrine and Hachiman Shrine at this location were merged, and the shrine was renamed to its current name.

Facing the shrine grounds is the Kagura Hall, with the shrine office on the right and the worship hall ahead. The worship hall has a gable roof with the front gable facing the entrance, and it is connected to the shrine office on the left. The plaque at the entrance bears the names of Suwa Shrine and Hachiman Shrine.

Behind the worship hall is the main hall, surrounded by a sacred fence. The main hall is an Ichimon-sha Nagare-zukuri style, built in the mid-Edo period by Azumino carpenter Toyohachi Asakawa. Made entirely of zelkova wood, it measures 2.27m by 2.3m, forming an almost square layout. The copper-roofed structure is elevated, with a five-step wooden staircase connecting it to the worship hall. The front and side of the hall feature a veranda, with ornamental balls (giboshi) on the railing.

The side walls are plain wooden boards without decorations. Both the porch and the main building lack coloring, featuring only carvings as decorations. It is the only remaining Edo period structure in Matsukawa Village.

At the edge of the shrine grounds, there is a Konpira Shrine stored in a protective building. This small shrine is an Ichimon-sha Kasuga-zukuri style, believed to have been built around the same time as the main hall, possibly also by Toyohachi Asakawa.