FOUR SHRINES · 04/08
The four-shrine circuit
Four shrines, four goshintai, four different worlds
Kamisha Honmiya · the mountain
Goshintai: Mount Moriya across the lake. Two thatched treasure halls (east/west) rebuilt alternately every seven years hold the sacred palanquin; however dry the sky, at least three drops fall daily from their roofs — the "divine drip." Treasure hall (¥500) holds the Nara-era mirror.
Kamisha Maemiya · the origin
The birthplace of Suwa Taisha and the only one of the four with a main hall. The Mizume clear stream pours from a kilometer inside the mountains — once irrigation for the rice fields below. Its deity, Yasakatome, is Takeminakata's consort — often read as the other half of Kanako's prototype.
Shimosha Harumiya · the bond
Goshintai: a cedar. The musubi-no-sugi splits into two trunks ten meters up yet shares one root. The lower shrines add Yaekotoshironushi to their gods.
Shimosha Akimiya · the hot spring
Goshintai: a yew tree. Home of the rare onsen temizuya "O-yu" — purify your hands with actual Shimosuwa hot-spring water, flowing from a dragon's mouth. The treasure hall holds the Heian "Megaumi-hōri-in" seal — hōri meaning the Ōhōri, the living god.
For Tōhō pilgrims: the four shrines plus Okaya's Moreya Shrine make the classic "five-shrine" fan route; the Moriya Archives sit right beside the Maemiya; and the ema racks at Honmiya regularly hold offerings from Tōhō fans — the ones with frogs and snakes.
SOURCES
SOURCESPhotos from Wikimedia Commons under CC licenses; credits beneath each image.