Keta Shrine, Shinto shrine in Toyama Prefecture, Japan
Keta Shrine is a shrine in Takaoka built in the nagare-zukuri style, a classical Japanese architectural form with a sloped roof design. The structure displays traditional woodwork and detailed craftsmanship visible throughout all its components.
The shrine's founding is debated: shrine tradition dates it to 717, while scholars link it to the separation of Noto Province around 757, when a branch of Keta Taisha was reportedly transferred here. It appears in the 927 Engishiki as a shrine of Imizu District, and by the 14th century a document calls it Etchū's ichinomiya. The main hall, rebuilt in the Eiroku era (1558–1570), survived later fires and was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1931.
The shrine's name derives from keta, meaning strong wind, reflecting its role as a protector against winds from the Sea of Japan. Its main deities are Ōnamuchi-no-Mikoto and Nunakawahime-no-Mikoto, with Kukurihime-no-Mikoto and Kotoshironushi-no-Mikoto also enshrined. On 18 April, the spring festival features the Niramijishi lion dance, a Takaoka intangible folk cultural property, performed slowly with a glare said to ward off misfortune.
The approach runs about 500 m from the shrine marker at the junction, past the former Etchū Kokubun-ji, then up roughly 70 stone steps to a stone torii and a further 150 m and 30 steps to the precinct. The nearest station is Etchū-Kokubu on the JR Himi Line, about 15 minutes on foot; buses stop at Fushiki-Ichinomiya, about 8 minutes away.
The honden, rebuilt in the Eiroku era (1558–1570), survived the Tenbun fire that destroyed the temple buildings, and its large timber framing with rainbow beams and kibana brackets led to its designation as a National Treasure in 1931, now an Important Cultural Property. A pair of wooden komainu inside, 88 and 92 cm tall, is attributed to the sculptor Unkei and is a Takaoka city cultural property.
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