Toyama Chūkyōin Shrine
Full view of Toyama Chūkyōin from the street
Street view of the shrine entrance
Torii gate and interior view of the shrine grounds
View slightly inside the shrine grounds
View of the honden with torii and shimenawa above
Full view of the shrine complex
Close-up view of shrine architecture
Honden (main sanctuary)
Close-up of the honden
Interior chamber of the honden
Honden chamber with ritual curtain
Close-up of the honden altar
Chōzuya (ritual purification basin)
Chōzuya viewed from the side
View of the city from the shrine grounds, with chōzuya
Omikuji (paper fortunes)
Omikuji tied at the shrine
Omikuji tied over a stone stele
Omikuji vending machine at the shrine
Omikuji vending machine, front view
Close-up of the omikuji vending machine
Stone stele at Toyama Chūkyōin
Informational plaque at the shrine
Shrine signboard
Shrine banner
Decorative banner at the shrine
Historical or illustrative image of Toyama Chūkyōin
Panoramic view of the shrine grounds
Panoramic view from inside the shrine
Panoramic view of the shrine interior and surroundings
Wide panoramic view of Toyama Chūkyōin
Panoramic view looking outward from the shrine
| Toyama Chukyoin | |
|---|---|
.png) Toyama Chukyoin in the Meiji period | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Jōdo Shinshū (until 1873) Shinto (1873-present) |
| Deity | Ame-no-Minakanushi amaterasu |
| Year consecrated | 1873 |
| Location | |
| Geographic coordinates | 36.689151424824914, 137.22031614938365 |
Toyama Chukyoin (富山中教院) is a small shrine in Toyama City, Japan. The shrine's grounds were originally a Buddhist temple of the Jōdo Shinshū sect, but it was later converted into a Chukyoin in 1873.
Chukyoin was a type of institution created to promote the teachings of the Taikyo Institute. There was one on each capital of a Prefecture of Japan..
The Taikyo Institute, literally Great Teaching Institute (大教院, Taikyoin) had sub institutions across Japan called Medium Teaching Institute (中教院, Chukyoin) and Small Teaching Institute (小教院, Shokyoin). Every prefecture had its own Chukyoin in its capital and this was the one of Toyama Prefecture. Shokyoins were scattered all across the country. The size comparison resembles the words for University, Middle school, and Elementary school.
All of them however promoted the same Taikyo proclamation teachings.
In 1875 the Taikyo Institute was closed, and the building became an office of the Bureau of Shinto Affairs. Then in 1882 it became a Jingukyo office.
Around the Chukyoin site, there was a night market that became famous in 1904.
In 1925, the Chukyoin was relocated near Toyama Gokoku Shrine to make way for a new streetcar line. Only a small shrine remains at the original location, as the streetcar was later removed.
The Chukyoin (now affiliated with Jingukyo) was completely destroyed on August 2, 1945 during an air raid.
During World War II the night market was damaged and unused until its repair in 1950. It was still operational in 1999. and 2011
After the war people rebuilt the shrine on its original location. The shrine can be found next to the bus stop Chukyoin Mae. It is known as the smallest shrine in Japan.
The shrine building was rennovated in 2020.
