Kaguraden

The kagura hall of the Suwa Grand Shrine Shimosha Akimiya. The hall has been designated a National Important Cultural Property. The hall's komainu lion-dog guard statues standing on either side are said to be the best bronze komainu in Japan. The hall was built in the kirizuma-zukuri style in 1835 by the carpenter Tatekawa Washiro II. Bearing relatively little carving work compared to the surrounding shrine buildings, the hall has a solemn design which contrasts with the magnificence of the Heihaiden. The huge sacred rope adoring the hall's front was once created under the guidance of the Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine's support society. In recent times, a new rope is made to replace the old one during the year of the Onbashira Festival.