七社明神社
9052 Yamada, Tamagawa, Chino City
Shichisha Myojin Shrine located in the Tamagawa district of Chino City.
It is known for the Kaminohara lumberjacks who fell the sacred trees for the Suwa Taisha Kamisha's Onbashira festival, holding dedication and safety prayer ceremonies at this shrine.
From the wooden torii facing the highway, an unpaved path leads to the shrine grounds surrounded by groves on all four sides.
The shrine buildings standing in the dimly lit grounds are an enclosed structure surrounding the haiden and honden.
The honden is an Osumi-style ichinomiya nagare-zukuri with a hamaboko (veranda), wooden stairs, railings, and side screens.
As a shrine building adorned with numerous carvings, including phoenixes on the gable ornaments and frog-leg struts, it is designated as a cultural property by Chino City.
There are many small shrine buildings within the grounds, each with pillars at their four corners, but one of these buildings has collapsed, possibly due to wind and rain.
Considering the firmly standing surrounding pillars, it doesn't seem to be human-caused, but it is concerning.
| Location | 9052 Yamada, Tamagawa, Chino City |
|---|---|
| Website | None |
| Main Shrine | Designated Municipal Cultural Property Tenmei 6 (1786) ridge tag |
|---|---|
| Builder | Chozamon Ito Nagashige |
| Architectural Style | Ichinomiya-style nagare-zukuri, thatched roof |