Paper Places: Beautiful Fukui Shrines for the God of “Washi”

Shintō Shrines Connected to the Origins of Echizen Washi

The Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Kanazawa, Ishikawa, to Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture commenced service on March 16, 2024. Fukui Prefecture now enjoying a tourism boost, with around 20% more visitors compared with 2023.

Okamoto Shrine and Ōtaki Shrine, 15 minutes by car from Echizen Takefu station in the Fukui city of Echizen, has attracted attention thanks to scenes of Japanese celebrity Yoshinaga Sayuri praying at the shrines in JR promotion videos.

A single torii gate, unusual for an entrance to multiple shrines, is the entrance to both Okamoto and Ōtaki. (© Nippon.com)

During the Edo period (1603–1868), the northeast of today’s Fukui Prefecture was part of Echizen Province, while the southwest was Wakasa Province​. Today’s city of Echizen, in the center of Fukui, is known for the production of washi traditional paper, and is a leading producer in terms of quality, variety, and total output. Echizen hōsho paper and torinoko paper, both used for special occasions, are designated as Important Cultural Properties by the nation.

Echizen Washi no Sato (Echizen Washi Village), a 10-minute walk from Okamoto Shrine and Ōtaki Shrine, is a focus for washi paper production and tourism. Amid the greenery of the precinct is yet another shrine dedicated to the legendary creator of washi, Kawakami Gozen.

The front shrine​ and main hall of the lower section of the shrine, dedicated to Kawakami Gozen, the legendary creator of washi. (© Nippon.com)

The street Washi no Sato Dōri runs northwest from the shrine for almost a kilometer. (© Nippon.com)

Two Sacred Sites

The shrine traces its history back 1,500 years. According to legend, a beautiful woman appeared at the upper reaches of the Okamoto River. She declared: “This village is in a valley, with little farming land. But it is blessed with clean water, and natural surroundings. You will prosper if you turn your hands to producing paper,” and proceeded to teach paper manufacturing to the people.

The woman never spoke her name, simply saying that she came from upstream (kawakami). The locals began making paper for a living, and referred to the mysterious woman simply as Kawakami Gozen, or “Lady Upstream.” They built Okamoto Shrine to pay their respects to her as the originator of their industry.

A sign explaining the legend of Lady Upstream. (© Nippon.com)

The Okamoto River passes through “Washi Village.” (© Nippon.com)

The Ōtaki Shrine, meanwhile, began with the ceremonial transfer of a deity to this new location by Ōtomo no Muraji Ōtaki during the reign of Empress Suiko (592–638).

Later, Taichō, a Shugendō mountain ascetic monk, visited the shrine and established the Ōtaki Chigo Gongen temple. Ōtaki Shrine’s guardian deity is Kawakami Gozen, and its main enshrined deities are Kunitokotachi no Mikoto and Izanagi no Mikoto. The Ōtaki temple was also founded in the grounds as a Buddhist facility to oversee the shrine’s precinct, highlighting its status as a syncretic Shintō-Buddhist holy site.

The 11-faced Kannon statue enshrined in the Kannon-dō hall, dating back to the Heian period (794–1185), is a vestige of the site’s syncretic history. (© Nippon.com)

The air of the sacred grounds is appropriately peaceful. (© Nippon.com)

Revered as a Deity in the Paper Industry

Taichō is renowned for having worshiped on Hakusan, a holy mountain on the border of the ancient provinces of Kaga (present-day Ishikawa) and Mino (now Gifu Prefecture).

Faith focusing on Hakusan was widespread in the Heian period, and consequently Ōtaki thrived as a place of worship. During the Middle Ages, it had 48 religious buildings, and over 700 monks. The site was burned down during suppression of the Ikkō-ikki​ (a Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist uprising) by Oda Nobunaga (1534–82), but later it was revived. During the Edo period (1603–1868), it enjoyed the protection of successive feudal lords as the shrine of the deity of the locally manufactured paper, Echizen washi.

The triple-leaf family crest of the Tokugawa clan, which adorns the shrine’s main building and its sacred horse statue, suggests the degree of faith of the Matsudaira family, the local feudal lords in the Edo period. (© Nippon.com)

With Japan’s promulgation of a law strictly separating Buddhism and Shintoism in 1868, the temple was shut down, leaving just Ōtaki Shrine. That same year, the new Meiji government issued Japan’s first national banknotes, made from Echizen washi. The paper-making division of the Treasury Printing Bureau enshrined the spirit of Kawakami Gozen (split off from the main deity) in 1923, after which the deity became a focus of reverence throughout the paper industry.

Nowadays, the small main halls of Okamoto and Ōtaki Shrines stand side-by-side at Oku-no-In, atop Mount Daitoku (Mount Gongen), the peak to the rear of the shrine. At the base of the mountain is a combined hall built as a point of easy access for worship directed to the two shrines.

The combined hall for the two shrines at the base of the mountain. The rear building (at left) is the main hall, and the front shrine, or hall of worship, is shown on the right. (© Nippon.com)

The Most Complex Roof in Japan

The main hall of the lower shrine as it stands today was completed in 1843 by the renowned master carpenter Ōkubo Kanzaemon, who also constructed the imperial envoy gate of Eiheiji, the head temple of the ​Sōtō Zen Buddhist sect in Fukui Prefecture.

Although it is not unusual to see a combined front shrine and main hall, its intricate roof is stunning. The main hall is built in the single-bay style, connected to the hipped roof​ of the entrance to the front shrine. This, combined with the rounded cusped gable​ connected to the triangular vergeboard decorated with ornate carvings, is why the shrine gained a reputation for having the most complex roof in Japan.

The ornate carvings below the eaves are reminiscent of syncretic mausoleum construction in the Edo period. The carvings of the main hall, which reference ancient Chinese legends, are of particular note. The combination of the front shrine and main hall, the shrine’s remnants of Shintō-Buddhist syncretism, and the elaborate architecture are reasons for the shrine’s fame.

The roof is a uniquely beautiful structure. (© Nippon.com)

If you look closely, you will notice that the vergeboard at the rear is slightly off-center. Some believe that the structure began to collapse at the time it was completed, while others feel it was by deliberate design. (© Nippon.com)

The carvings on the main hall are so elaborate, visitors can find themselves entranced for hours. (© Nippon.com)

Okamoto Shrine and Ōtaki Shrine

• Address: 13-1 Ōtakichō, Echizen, Fukui Prefecture
• Hours: Always open
• Website: https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/188673

(Originally published in Japanese. Research, text, and photographs by Nippon.com.)