諏訪神社
Asakawa Nishijo,Nagano City
Characteristics of Suwa Shrine
Carving of Tachibana Fruit
Suwa Shrine, located in a residential area on the east side of Nagano City, has a main hall built in the Muromachi period.
Although the detailed history is unknown, it has been worshipped as the guardian deity of this area.
A city road runs right in front of the shrine grounds, with a Ryo-bu Torii rebuilt in 2011.
There is a stone monument facing the road, and passing through the torii gate, a stone-paved approach continues.
A lantern stands halfway up the stone steps, and further up the steps are a water basin and a worship hall.
A covering structure for the main hall is situated even higher behind the worship hall.
The covering structure was rebuilt in 1855 and was recently restored along with the worship hall.
You can see the main hall inside the covering structure through the lattice windows on the front and sides.
The main hall is made of local pine wood, and it is said that it was originally painted in bright colors.
The structure is in the one-bay nagare-zukuri style, typical of the Muromachi period.
The roof is double-layered with overhanging rafters and board roofing, the main structure has round columns, and the gable columns are chamfered square columns.
In the center of the top of the gable's crossbeam, there is a beautifully carved frog leg brace from a single piece of wood.
The main structure and the gable are connected by an ebi-nokyo (shrimp rainbow beam), and the lower surface has ancient tin decorations.
The wooden noses on top of the columns are sharply carved and fist-shaped, with spiral patterns close to perfect circles on the sides, showing Muromachi style characteristics.
The upper front part of the ebi-nokyo has unique spiral patterns with a leaf-shaped carving.
The design of the "Tachibana fruit" on the hidden beam is unique in the prefecture.
This carving of Tachibana fruit is one of the characteristics of Suwa Shrine, and similar styles can be seen in the main halls of Shirahige Shrine in Kinasa, Nagano City, and Komagata Shrine in Saku City.
At the top of the gable end, there is a decorative fish board with large spiral patterns.
This decorative fish board is called a kabu-hashira (turnip post) due to its turnip-like shape.
A wet veranda surrounds the main hall, and there are no side screens.
There are ornamental balls at the front, with different shapes on each side.
Overall, the architecture has few carvings and has a simple, unpainted wooden construction, facing a road with light traffic, giving it a calm atmosphere.
Additionally, we would like to thank the Asakawa Saijo Suwa Shrine Preservation Society for their assistance in photographing and creating this page.
| Location | Asakawa Saijo, Nagano City |
|---|---|
| Website | None |
| Main Deity | Takeminakata-no-Mikoto |
| Main Hall | City-designated Cultural Property Mid-Muromachi Period |
|---|---|
| Architectural Style | One-bay nagare-zukuri style, board roofing |