Gosha Daimyojin Shrine 五社大明神

Official explanation

Gosha Daimyojin is a wide wooden shrine located behind the main hall. The shrine is painted red and black and was likely built at the same time as the main hall by Hayashi Masanobu (1736–1802), the son of Hayashi Masakiyo (1678–1753), who oversaw the hall’s construction. The shrine was later destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1783. Its colors were restored in 2009. The shrine is a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

The gables on the left and right side are decorated with carved gegyo pendants. These curved pendants have floral motifs and are painted red with black details. Gegyo are common features of shrine and temple design, and early examples were carved in the shape of fish (the gyo in gegyo means fish), perhaps for protection against fire. During the Edo period (1603–1867) gegyo was also carved in the shape of flowers and birds.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.