Oyama Shrine Audio Guide

Oyama Shrine: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Oyama-jinja Shrine

   Welcome to Oyama-jinja Shrine, known in Japanese as 尾山神社, in the middle of Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture. Many shrines greet you with a plain wooden torii gate. This one greets you with a tall, three-story gate with stained glass windows and European touches. It is one of the most unexpected entrances in Japanese religious architecture. This is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Maeda Toshiie, the first lord of the Kaga Domain. The Maeda family shaped Kanazawa for generations, and this shrine keeps their founder's memory at the center of the city. The shrine is not large, but it holds a great deal of history. On this walk we will follow the shrine's journey from a hillside to the city center, look closely at that remarkable gate, and meet the man and the woman at the heart of the story. Let's begin.

2. 02

   A Shrine on the Move at Oyama-jinja Shrine

   The shrine's story starts in 1599, when it was established on Utatsu-yama, a hill east of Kanazawa. It was dedicated to Maeda Toshiie, who had lived from 1537 until that very year. His successor, Maeda Toshinaga, is credited with building it. Then came a long journey down the hill. In 1873 the shrine was moved to its present location and renamed Oyama-jinja. The timing matters. It was founded here not long after the abolition of the law that had stopped anyone other than a shogun from being enshrined in a shrine. Suddenly it was possible to honor a domain founder in this way, and Kanazawa did. As the old shrine ranking system was abolished, the Oyama Festival took the place of the earlier Kanazawa City Festival. So the shrine you see today is a product of the Meiji era, when Japan was rapidly changing, as much as of the Maeda age.

3. 03

   The Gate That Mixes Three Worlds at Oyama-jinja Shrine

   Now look up at the shinmon, the sacred gate, completed in 1875. It has three stories, and it blends Japanese and Chinese architectural styles with Western touches, including stained glass. It was built with the most advanced technology of the early Meiji era, in the hope that its beauty would draw people in to worship. The gate also made a statement. Domains had ended in 1871, yet this gate stood as a symbol of Kanazawa's vibrancy and importance. Rather than fade quietly, the former Kaga capital built something nobody could ignore. A popular tale says the third floor once served as a lighthouse, a story that fits the gate's tall, striking profile. The gate was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan under the revised Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. Near the gate, keep an eye out for the pair of guardian lions. Early morning and late afternoon are said to be the best times for photographs.

4. 04

   Toshiie, Omatsu and the Maeda Legacy at Oyama-jinja Shrine

   Who is honored here? The principal deity is Lord Maeda Toshiie, the first lord of the Kaga Domain. The shrine also enshrines his principal wife, Lady Omatsu, who lived from 1547 to 1617, along with the successive lords of the Maeda family. A bronze statue of Toshiie stands in front of the shrine, and a carving of Omatsu is also part of the scene. The prosperity of Kanazawa, known as Kaga Hyakumangoku, the Million Koku of Kaga, is said to have begun when Toshiie entered Kanazawa Castle. Under the second lord, Toshinaga, and the third, Toshitsune, the domain grew into one of the largest in Japan, reaching 1.2 million koku. A koku was a measure of rice, and the domain's wealth was counted in it. The Maeda family went on to shape many parts of Kanazawa, including its town planning, politics, economy, industry, education, culture and traditional arts. When you stand here, you are standing at the shrine for the family behind much of the city's character.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off from Oyama-jinja Shrine

   Before you move on, take one more slow look at the gate and the grounds. Notice how many different influences meet in one entrance, and how a shrine that began on a hillside now sits in the heart of the city. The gardens inside add a peaceful note to the busy surroundings. As you leave, ask yourself what you would build if you wanted your city to be remembered. Kanazawa's answer was a gate that still makes visitors stop and stare. What else in the neighborhood carries the Maeda name?