Kumaku Shrine

久麻久神社｜⛩久麻久神社｜愛知県西尾市 – 八百万の神

## Kumaku Shrine (久麻久神社) in Nishio, Aichi: What’s Actually Worth Knowing Before You Go

Kumaku Shrine (久麻久神社, read Kumaku Jinja) is an old Shinto shrine on the slopes of Mt. Yatsuomote (八ツ面山) in Nishio, Aichi Prefecture. It’s not a “big-name” shrine in the way Atsuta Jingū or Ise Jingū are—but it is historically significant, and the site rewards visitors who care about architecture, local history, and the quieter end of shrine culture.

### Quick facts (verified)
– Name: Kumaku Shrine / 久麻久神社
– Type: Shinto shrine
– Address: 77 Yatsuomotecho Fumoto, Nishio, Aichi 445-0082, Japan
– Location context: Mid-slope of Mt. Yatsuomote, historically associated with mica (雲母 / きらら) production in the area
– Traditional founding period (as recorded locally): Taihō era (701–704)
– Recorded in: Engishiki Jinmyōchō (927)
– Main hall (honden): Built in 1527 and designated a National Important Cultural Property (Japan)

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## Why Kumaku Shrine matters (beyond “it’s a shrine”)

### 1) It’s tied to a very specific local story: “kira(ra)” and place-names
Nishio’s official city write-up connects the shrine’s setting—Mt. Yatsuomote—to the area’s history as a mica source (雲母 / きらら). That detail matters because it’s not generic shrine lore; it’s a local economic + geographic thread that helps explain why a shrine would be placed and sustained here over centuries.

### 2) The honden isn’t just old—it’s date-certain (1527)
Plenty of shrines claim ancient origins, but what you can verify here is the construction date of the honden (1527) and its national-level cultural designation. If you like Japanese architectural history, that’s a strong reason to detour: you’re looking at a structure whose era is clearly documented on official channels, not a vague “sometime in the Muromachi period” hand-wave.

### 3) It appears in the Engishiki listing (927)
Being named in the Engishiki shrine register is one of those signals that puts a site in a more serious historical category. Nishio City explicitly notes that Kumaku Shrine’s name appears in the Engishiki Jinmyōchō (927).

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## What you’ll likely notice on-site

### The climb and the setting
Because it sits on Mt. Yatsuomote’s mid-slope, you should expect a “rising” approach rather than a flat, street-level precinct. The environment is wooded and feels removed from traffic quickly—more like you’re visiting a hillside sanctuary than a city-block shrine. (That hillside placement is explicitly stated by Nishio City and local tourism sources.)

### The cultural-property angle
Nishio City describes the honden’s form (irimoya-style roof, three-bay frontage with a projecting porch) and calls out the roof and carved details as notable. Even if you don’t know the vocabulary, what matters practically: this is a shrine where the building itself is the headline.

### Stored cultural items (not usually viewable)
The city page notes the shrine possesses cultural assets such as a Heian-period Gozu Tennō statue and Muromachi-period ceramic komainu, and also states these are not publicly displayed. Don’t plan your visit assuming there’s an indoor exhibit.

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## How to get there (confirmed access guidance)

Nishio City provides a straightforward public-transport approach:

– From Nishio Station, take Meitetsu Tōbu Kōtsū bus to “Yatsuomote Nishi” and walk about 7 minutes, or take a taxi about 10 minutes from the station.

If you’re mapping it yourself, the address commonly shown in tourism listings is:
– 77 Yatsuomotecho Fumoto, Nishio 445-0082

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## Visiting etiquette that matters here (practical, not performative)

Even if you’ve visited other shrines in Japan, a small, locally rooted site like this tends to feel more “personal” in the sense that your behavior stands out more.

– Before you step into the main precinct: pause at the torii; a brief bow is standard practice.
– At the offering box: common flow is offering → bell (if present) → bow twice → clap twice → final bow.
– Photography: treat worship areas as active religious space, not a museum set. If there are signs requesting no photos, follow them.

If you want a tight refresher for your site visitors, this internal resource works well as a contextual link:
– Internal link suggestion: Shinto shrine etiquette in Japan (e.g., /japan/shinto-shrine-etiquette/)

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## What to verify before publishing (because it changes)

You asked to flag outdated data and keep this accurate. Here’s what I did not claim because it’s commonly variable and I didn’t see it confirmed on the official pages we pulled:

– Opening hours / office hours
– Whether goshuin are currently offered (and on which days)
– Festival dates
– Parking specifics and capacity

If your editorial workflow allows it, you can add a “check before you go” box and update it periodically.

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## Two contextual internal links you can use (site-structure friendly)
These are editorial/internal navigation suggestions (not factual claims):

1. Nishio travel guide / things to do: /japan/aichi/nishio/
2. Shinto shrine etiquette: /japan/shinto-shrine-etiquette/

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## Location data (from your dataset)
– Place: Kumaku Shrine (久麻久神社)
– City: Nishio, Aichi, Japan
– Coordinates: 34.874673, 137.0766982

(Note: I’m treating your coordinates as input data and not asserting them as independently verified.)