Izuki hachimangu

Hachimangu Shrine in Izuki, Iida City, is surrounded by mountains and deep greenery. It is well-known for the "Izuki's Saba-zushi Festival," a designated intangible cultural asset of the prefecture, held during its annual grand festival over two days in autumn. This festival, which has continued since the Edo period, involves offering mackerel-shaped sushi and eating mackerel chirashi sushi at home to pray for traffic safety and a good harvest. The shrine's foundation dates back to 1600, when Nagakiyo Ogasawara, who had moved from Musashi Province, built a jin'ya (regional government office) in Izuki and invited a spirit of Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine from Matsuo, Iida City. The approach to the shrine is long, with a straight path extending about 200 meters from the first torii gate to the red-painted second torii.

The shrine precincts are surrounded by a grove, with a gable roof worship hall (haiden) at the front. The haiden has no walls, a style commonly seen around Iida. The main hall (honden) within the shelter is a three-bay nagare-zukuri style with a show shelf structure, featuring a veranda on three sides and sliding shutters. Based on an inscription on a mallet, the construction dates back to 1679. The frog-leg struts (kagemata) on the front are made of zelkova wood with intricate internal carvings. These parts were added during a renovation in 1731.