Matsuo Shrine 松苧神社

The shrine’s longevity in the punishing snow-country winters is partly due to its architecture. The steep slope of the thatched roof causes snow to slide off rather than build up, protecting the roof from potentially crushing loads. Numerous thick support columns help to bear the weight of snow and wet thatch.

The most significant festival at Matsuo Shrine is Nanatsu Mairi, held annually on May 8. Local boys who turned seven during the previous year make the journey from the village of Inubushi, at the foot of the mountain, to the shrine at its summit, a climb of 360 meters over about 3 kilometers. This is a challenging hike for children of that age, particularly as snow may still be on the ground, but the entire community comes out to help them ascend. After prayers and a ceremony at the shrine, everyone descends the mountain and the boys’ extended families hold celebrations in their honor.

Two important artifacts belonging to the shrine are a short sword and a signaling fan (gunbai). The fan is said to have been offered to the enshrined deity by Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578), a powerful daimyo who governed the area in the sixteenth century. For security reasons, the items are not housed in the shrine itself. Replicas are on display at the Matsudai History Museum.

With no road to the shrine other than a narrow mountain path, all tools and materials used to maintain the structure over its 500 years of existence have had to be carried to the site. Historically, residents undertook this labor themselves as a reflection of the shrine’s importance to the community.

This fifteenth-century structure is the main sanctuary of Matsuo Shrine, an ancient Shinto shrine with deep connections to the nearby village of Inubushi. It was registered an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1978 and underwent an extensive rethatching from 2017 to 2019.

Historical sources suggest the shrine was founded in 807 to honor the deity Nunakawa-hime, who is associated with ramie (a plant central to the local weaving tradition). The current sanctuary dates to 1497 and is one of the oldest thatched-roof wooden structures in Niigata Prefecture.

Note the steep roof and the large number of support columns. These features have helped the building withstand heavy snowfalls without collapsing. The structure’s longevity is also thanks to care from Inubushi residents, who have repaired and maintained the shrine over the last 500 years by hauling the necessary tools and materials up the mountain path.

This shrine is the main location for Nanatsu Mairi, a coming-of-age event held on May 8 each year. Boys in the Matsudai area who turned seven in the previous year make the journey to the shrine. They are helped in the difficult climb by the entire community. After prayers and a ceremony are held, everyone descends the mountain and the boys’ extended families hold celebrations in their honor.

Two important artifacts belonging to the shrine are a short sword and a signaling fan (gunbai). The fan is said to have been offered to the enshrined deity by Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578), a powerful daimyo who governed this area in the sixteenth century. The sword and fan are not housed in the shrine itself, but replicas are on display at the Matsudai History Museum.