Ogamiyama-jinja Okunomiya (Ogamiyama Back Shrine)
Tottori
Grand Shrine of Gongen-style sitting at the end of the longest approach in Japan
Tottori PrefectureSince ancient times Mt. Daisen in Tottori has been called Okami-no-take (the mountain of gods) and worshiped by practitioners of Shugen-do who train their mind in the mountain. Near the top of the mountain, the magnificent shrine sits surrounded by the nature with aura of higher beings. Okumiya means a shrine pavilion within the main shrine but this Okumiya originates from a simple place for worship created by practitioners. Because the place is in deep snow during winter, a main shrine was built below the mountain, while the original shrine was named Okunomiya and has been used for rituals during summer.
Ogamiyama-jinja Okunomiya has three best things in Japan. One is the longest approach to Okunomiya; a 700m-long natural flagstone path runs through beeches and Japanese cedars. Second is the largest Gongen-style shrine with wings running 50 m long. Gongen-style shrine is built by joining the main shrine and the front shrine with a building called Ishinoma. Okunomiya is registered as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Third, it has one of the largest byakudan nuri work of Japan along its long corridor. Byakudan nuri is a special technique where raw lacquer is painted on top of silver foil, which creates gold color through a chemical reaction. There is no other specimen of the technique of such beauty and scale.
Okunomiya also houses Hakkaku-mikoshi (octagonal portable shrine) that was too heavy to gather enough bearers for over 100 years since 1885. The portable shrine was repaired and restored in 2002.
Information
Address: 1 Daisen, Daisen-cho, Tottori
Phone: 0859-52-2502 (Daisen-cho Tourist Information Center)
Directions: (Train) Take Nikko bus for Daisenji at Yonago Station on the JR Sanin Honsen (3 hours and 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka), ride 50 minutes, get off at Daisenji and walk 25 minutes. (Car) 20 minutes from Yonago Interchange on the Yonago Expressway.
