Hakusan-jinja, Shinto shrine in Konan, Shiga, Japan
Hakusan-jinja is a Shinto shrine in the Higashidera district of Konan, Shiga Prefecture. Its worship hall, built in the late Muromachi period, is an Important Cultural Property: a three-bay-square structure with a hip-and-gable roof of cypress bark, lattice doors between square pillars, and a veranda. The shrine stands within the grounds of Chōju-ji, its hall adjacent to the south of the temple's main hall, and the site of the temple's former three-story pagoda lies on a rise to the south.
According to shrine tradition, it was founded during the Tenpyō era (729–749) as the tutelary shrine of Chōju-ji, or in the Jōgan era (859–877) by the monk Teikai Ajari of that temple. In 1183 Minamoto no Yoritomo had it rebuilt together with Chōju-ji. It became independent when Buddhism and Shinto were separated in the Meiji era, and was later ranked as a village shrine.
The shrine's main deity is Shirayama-hime, not Kikurihime. It served as the guardian shrine of Chōju-ji, and although it became independent when Buddhism and Shinto were separated in the Meiji era, its hall still stands within the temple grounds, just south of the main hall. The south of the precinct is the Hokoba forest, and the site of Chōju-ji's three-story pagoda remains on the rise south of the hall.
The shrine stands inside the grounds of Chōju-ji, its hall adjoining the south side of that temple's main hall, in the Tōji 5-chōme district of Konan. From JR Ishibe Station on the Kusatsu Line, take the Konan community bus to the Chōju-ji stop, about two minutes on foot; by car the trip takes roughly eight minutes. The south part of the grounds is the Hokoba forest, and the site of Chōju-ji's three-storey pagoda remains on the rise south of the hall.
The shrine stands within the grounds of Chōju-ji, and its worship hall, built in the late Muromachi period, was designated an Important Cultural Property on 7 June 1959. South of the hall, a raised area preserves the site of the temple's former three-story pagoda.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,433 contributors worldwide.