Hakusansya okumiya

The Hakusan Shrine in Iida City is divided into a sato-gu (village shrine) and an oku-sha (inner shrine), with the oku-sha located just below the summit of Mount Kazakoshi behind the village shrine.
According to records of the former Hakusan-ji Temple associated with Hakusan Shrine, it was founded in 718.
Mount Kazakoshi, at about 1535 meters, is one of the 100 famous mountains of Shinshu and is a symbolic mountain of Iida City, hosting events such as the mountain marathon.
The mountain path from the village shrine is lined with numerous stone statues.
In front of the torii gate, there are two large arrows, known as "Yatateki," derived from a legend about an expert archer who shot arrows from Kamino Mine, the facing peak of Mount Kazakoshi, and they reached this location.

Along the narrow mountain path past the torii, you can see a large stone inscribed with "Namu Myoho Renge Kyo," stone lanterns, and statues of En no Gyoja.

In front of the oku-sha is a zuishinmon gate built in the Edo period.
The zuishinmon, painted entirely in red, is a kirizuma-style gate with round columns on either side of the doors, each adorned with inward-facing carved lion masks.
The central part of the rainbow beam above the gate features carvings of pine and doves, while small guardian statues are placed within the lattice on either side.

The shrine buildings located beyond the zuishinmon include a heiden (offering hall) and a haiden (worship hall), integrated with the main hall.
The heiden and haiden were built in 1731, and at that time, the sides of the main hall's forward extension were enclosed with plank walls and doors.
As a result, the interior is not visible, but the front's colorful decoration is well preserved.
The main hall is characterized by the extensive use of Zen-style architecture.
The brackets on the columns of the forward extension have three horizontal beams extending front and back, with five brackets lined up on top of the second-level brackets.
The cloud-like patterns on the bracket arms and the extended whirl patterns on the bracket noses are considered designs from a much earlier period.