Ouchi hachiman jinja

Kouchi Hachiman Shrine, located along the national highway in the Angenji area of Nakano City, has its shrine building on the east side of the road and a sacred grove on the west side.
Originally, there must have been a long approach, but now the road runs between them.
The sacred grove is designated as a natural monument by Nakano City.
At the entrance to the shrine precincts, there is a magnificent gate with a statue of a person enshrined inside.
The statue, with its white face, sits expressionless, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

The shrine's origins date back to the reign of Emperor Seiwa, but it was destroyed by fire during the fourth Battle of Kawanakajima in 1561. It was rebuilt during the Tensho era and later restored by the Matsudaira clan, lords of Iiyama Castle, in the Edo period.
Beyond the gate, the main hall stands directly in front, with a protective building behind it housing the three-bay main shrine.
The worship hall has a large hip-and-gable roof, commonly seen in snowy areas like Otari Village and the northern Shinano region.
In the Iiyama area, red-painted iron roofs on hip-and-gable structures are also common, and Kouchi Hachiman Shrine's worship hall roof is of a similar style, blending in with the local architecture.

The main shrine, designated as a cultural property by Nakano City, is a nagare-zukuri structure with a cypress bark roof.
It shares architectural similarities with Suwa Hachiman Shrine in Yamanouchi Town and Kenmusubi Shrine in Iiyama City, including the shape of the floor plan, carvings on the wooden nose and frog leg beams, and color scheme.
These similarities likely stem from the involvement of Iiyama domain lords in their construction.
The shrine is considered a valuable example of early Edo period architecture in the region.