Suwa Taisha Shimosha Akimiya

The Shimosha Akimiya is the autumn hall of the Lower Shrine of Suwa Taisha, standing on the north side of Lake Suwa in the hot-spring town of Shimosuwa. Together with its sister the Harumiya, or spring hall, it forms one half of the great four-part Suwa shrine complex, and by tradition the deity is believed to move between the two halls with the seasons, residing at the Akimiya from the eighth month through winter. It is the most convenient of the four sites to reach on foot and one of the most rewarding to visit.

As at the Upper Shrine, there is no conventional main sanctuary; the divine presence is embodied instead in a sacred tree. At the Akimiya this is a towering sugi cedar, the ichii no ki, rising directly behind the worship hall, its great trunk wrapped in the physical focus of centuries of prayer. In front stands the kaguraden, a hall for sacred dance, famous for the immense shimenawa straw rope suspended across its front, one of the largest such ropes in the region and a striking sight against the dark timber and mountain backdrop.

The Akimiya's buildings are richly carved works of Edo-period craftsmanship and are designated Important Cultural Properties. Look closely at the heihaiden and the flanking katahaiden and you will find dragons, phoenixes and mythical beasts worked into the beams by rival teams of master carpenters who competed to outdo one another. Like all four Suwa sites, the Akimiya has its own set of four onbashira pillars, raised at the corners of the precinct during the Onbashira festival held every six years, when huge fir logs are hauled down from the mountains by hand.

Shimosuwa itself is an old post town on the historic Nakasendo highway and one of the few places where the Nakasendo and the Koshu Kaido met. It has been a hot-spring resort for centuries, and after paying your respects at the shrine you can soak your feet for free at one of the public ashiyu foot baths dotted around the streets, or visit a communal bathhouse fed by the same waters. The combination of ancient shrine, sacred tree and steaming spa town makes for a very satisfying half day.

Getting here could hardly be easier: the Akimiya is a gentle 10 to 12 minute walk uphill from JR Shimosuwa Station on the Chuo Main Line, well signposted in English. Shimosuwa is around two and a half hours from Shinjuku by limited express. Many visitors pair the Akimiya with the nearby Harumiya, a 15-minute walk away, and then cross the lake to the two Upper Shrine sites to complete the full Suwa Taisha pilgrimage in a single day.