For a first visit to Kanazawa! Oyama Shrine, dedicated to Lord Toshiie Maeda and Lady Omatsuna, and the new landmark, Nezumata-mon Gate and Nezumata-mon Bridge

  • Ishikawa
  • Sightseeing
Oyama Shrine

Oyama Shrine" is the most popular place for Kanazawa citizens to pay a visit on New Year's Day

Oyama-jinja Shrine, which is well known to the public as the head shrine of Kanazawa City, attracts a large number of visitors for Hatsumode (New Year's visit)! Oyama Shrine is dedicated to Lord Toshiie Maeda, who ruled the Hokuriku region as the first lord of "Kaga Hyakumangoku," and his wife, Lady Omatsuna. Many people visit the shrine to pray for "luck in victory" and "luck in success in life" because of Lord Toshiie Maeda's competitive spirit, but the shrine also offers blessings such as "marital bliss," "fertility," and "easy childbirth" because it enshrines two people known as the "happiest couple of the Warring States period. It is said that a shrine that enshrines two married couples as deities is rare in Japan.
Oyama Shrine (image courtesy of Kanazawa City)

Shinmon Gate" with sparkling Guillermans

Take a bus from Kanazawa Station to the "Minamimachi/Oyama Shrine" bus stop, and a 3-minute walk will bring you to Oyama Shrine. It is located between Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle and the Nagamachi Buke Yashiki (samurai residences) and downtown area, making it an easy stopover during your sightseeing tour.

Climbing the stairs to Oyama Shrine, you will find the shrine's symbolic Shinmon (Shinto gate). It is an unusual structure for a shrine, incorporating a blend of Japanese, Chinese, and Western styles. The Shinmon Gate is designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The top floor of the gate is inlaid with a beautiful church-like Guillaman, which shows various expressions depending on the time of day.
Walk up the stairs and you will see the shrine gate
In the evening, the sun shines on the giyaman, and from after sunset until 22:00 at night, it is illuminated, creating a fantastic atmosphere. In addition, the lightning rod installed on the third level is the oldest existing lightning rod in Japan.
Lighting up the shrine (image courtesy of Kanazawa City)

Statues of "Prince Toshiie" and "Omatsunokata", a loving couple

Passing through the Shinmon gate, statues of Prince Toshiie and Omatsunokata are on the right side.

The large, round, eye-catching pouch on the back of the statue of Prince Toshiie is called a "horo," which was used to protect oneself from arrows and stones thrown during battle. The inside was made of whalebone or bamboo. However, it was sometimes targeted because of its conspicuousness.
Statue of Lord Toshiie
It is said that she was a talented woman of learning and martial arts. Historians believe that the Maeda family was able to prosper until the Meiji Restoration because of her achievements. The Maeda family was able to prosper until the Meiji Restoration.

After the death of Toshiie Maeda, when Ieyasu Tokugawa was about to invade Kaga, she told her son Toshinaga to "abandon his mother" and took him hostage to protect the Maeda family. This episode shows how much of a presence Omatsuna had in the history of the Kaga clan.
Statue of Omatsunokata (Image courtesy of Kanazawa City)

Shinen," a garden of musical instruments

Shin-en" is the garden of the former Kanaya Palace of Oyama Shrine. It is nicknamed the "Garden of Musical Instruments" because of its musical instrument motif. The distinctive brick bridge is called "Koto-bashi (Kotobashi)" in the motif of the Japanese harp, and the islands in the garden are named "Biwa-jima (Biwa Island)" and "Sho-jima (Sho Island)" in the motif of the musical instruments.
Shinto garden (image courtesy of Kanazawa City)

Restored gate and bridge that once connected Gyokuseninmaru Garden and Oyama Shrine "Nezumata Gate and Nezumata Gate Bridge

Passing through the shrine garden next to Oyama Shrine, you will see Nezumitamon (Nezumitamon Gate). Nezumitamon is located in the Gyokusenin Maru on the west side of Kanazawa Castle and served as the entrance to and from the Oyama Shrine grounds via the Nezumitamon Bridge. It was destroyed by fire during the Meiji period (1868-1912), but in July 2020, it was restored and maintained for the first time in approximately 140 years, becoming a new landmark in Kanazawa.
Nezutamon Gate (Image courtesy of Ishikawa Tourist Federation)
With the completion of the Nezumatamon Bridge, a 2-kilometer long "Kaga Hyakumangoku Circuit Route" was created from the Naga-machi Buke Yashiki area to Kanazawa Castle Park, Kenrokuen Garden, and Honda no Mori Park via Oyama Shrine.
Nezutamon Bridge
The most distinctive feature of Nezutamon is its rat-colored sea-squirrel wall. Only Nezumitamon uses black plaster to finish the sea squirt walls. There are various theories as to the origin of the name "Nezutamon," such as that there were many rats in the area in the past or that the walls had a rat-colored appearance, but the recent discovery of black plaster has made the theory that the walls had a rat-colored appearance more likely. Also, the roof of Nezutamon, like the gates in Kanazawa Castle, is made of lead tiles covered with lead plates on a wooden mold. There are various theories as to why lead was used, such as because there was a large surplus of lead, because lead could be used for guns in times of emergency, or to withstand the weight of snow.
Inside Nezutamon Gate (Photo courtesy of Ishikawa Tourist Federation)
The interior was built without using a single nail. The Nezumata Gate turret can be toured (free of charge), and explanatory panels are available on the second floor. Why not take the newly created "Kaga Hyakumangoku Circuit Route" and enjoy Kanazawa? I am sure you will discover new charms of Kanazawa.
For reservations of train + accommodation "Ishikawa area", please refer to [ JR East View Dynamic Rail Package ]
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