Golden Week is over, and the season of beautiful fresh greenery has arrived. It is also the time of year for spring festivals, and festivals are being held at shrines throughout the region.
The spring festival was also held over two days, May 18 and 19, 2024, at Japan's First Kumano Shrine, one of the city's most historic shrines.
This article introduces the “Fourth Hall Roof Repair Tour,” held to coincide with the spring festival, as well as efforts to preserve cultural properties for future generations.
The information presented was current when this article was published in June 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the “Japan's First Kumano Shrine Fourth Hall Roof Repair Tour”
Japan's First Kumano Shrine (Japan's First Kumano Twelve Shrines Gongen Shrine) is located in Kurashiki City's Gounai district and is commonly known as Kumano Shrine.
The “Japan's First Kumano Shrine Fourth Hall Roof Repair Tour” was held on the following dates:
- Saturday, May 18, 2024
4:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. - Sunday, May 19, 2024
9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m.
This was a rare opportunity to see the Fourth Hall of the main sanctuary, which is not usually open to visitors. Bitchu Kagura and other performances were also held as part of the event.
I attended the tour
I arrived at the site shortly before 1:00 p.m. on May 19.
Since we would be entering the construction site, I received a helmet at reception and waited.
At 1:00 p.m. sharp, the tour began. Six people, including me, took part in this session.
At the top of the ramp was scaffolding erected around the roof, allowing us to see the work up close.
At this point, workers were preparing to replace the damaged roofing material (hinoki bark).
The contractor also explained the hinoki-bark roofing and the roof's current condition as follows:
- More than 50 years had passed since the previous reroofing, and leaks had begun to appear. The roof had an unsightly appearance, with corrugated metal sheets used for temporary repairs.
- Repairs were made possible through subsidies from Okayama Prefecture and Kurashiki City, as well as donations from parishioners and visitors.
About hinoki-bark roofing
You may have heard of “hinoki-bark roofing,” which is being used for this roof repair, but may not know what it actually involves.
I only knew that it used hinoki bark, but seeing the model and the actual roof during the tour helped me understand it better.
As shown here, a hinoki-bark roof is made by layering many sheets of bark to create a thick roof.
The hinoki bark is secured by driving nails made of bamboo into the wooden base. Like hinoki, bamboo is resistant to water and does not rust like iron, making it an ideal roofing material.
The adjacent shrine building was reroofed a few years ago, so it still looked new. Comparing it with the roof before repairs made the difference in condition immediately clear.
About the building-raising method
For this project, the shrine building is being raised 1 meter above its usual height using a method called ageya (building raising).
I heard an explanation at the site where the building was being jacked up. They said it was raised 20 centimeters per day over five days, reaching a height of 1 meter above the ground.
The purpose of this work is to raise the building by 1 meter because, at its usual height, there would not be enough room to use a cutter when trimming the edges of the hinoki-bark roof.
The process of moving a building to another location in this raised state is called hikiya (building relocation), and is sometimes used to relocate and preserve cultural properties.
Bitchu Kagura
A performance of Bitchu Kagura by the Bitchu Kagura Preservation and Promotion Association was taking place alongside the tour, so I stayed to watch on my way out.
In recent years, it seems to have been attracting some attention, perhaps thanks to anime and comedy.
The “Slaying of the Great Serpent” was being performed. In the story, Susanoo-no-Mikoto defeats Yamata-no-Orochi and is given the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, one of the Three Sacred Treasures. It is a famous piece in the Bitchu Kagura repertoire.
At one point, the story tells of making poisoned sake to give to the great serpent. The sake deity who appears then is Matsuo Myojin, wearing this unique mask.
The witty and entertaining dialogue, delivered like a comedy sketch and peppered with local and topical references, was a lot of fun.
From the Writer
After the tour, we received a charm made with old cypress bark as a commemorative gift.
A representative of the parishioners also announced the crowdfunding campaign for the roof repairs.
As this is an Important Cultural Property designated by Okayama Prefecture, most of the repair costs are covered by subsidies from the prefecture and city.
However, these do not cover all the costs, and the shrine is struggling to raise the funds needed for repairs amid recent increases in prices and material costs, as well as a decline in parishioners due to the falling birthrate.
Known since ancient times as “Shin-Kumano-san,” Kumano Shrine has been protected by many people as the only shrine that preserves the appearance of the former sanctuary of Kumano Hongu Taisha in Kishu (Wakayama Prefecture). I hope to do what little I can to help pass it on to future generations.
Thank you for allowing us to visit the site of this important cultural property preservation project.
May the ancient shrine enjoy a future filled with blessings.
tour of the roof repairs to the Fourth Hall of Nihon Daiichi Kumano Shrine Information
| Name | Tour of the roof repairs to the Fourth Hall of Nihon Daiichi Kumano Shrine |
|---|---|
| Date | May 18, 2024 (Saturday) 4:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. May 19, 2024 (Sunday) 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. |
| Location | 684 Hayashi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Admission (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Preserving and passing down the main hall (Fourth Hall) of Kumano Shrine, an Important Cultural Property designated by Okayama Prefecture |
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