S P O T ／ SPOT-261
Inou Shrine (Nanashima-ike Garden & Lion Kagura)
伊奈冨神社（七島池・獅子神楽）いのうじんじゃ
An ancient shrine in the Inou district of Suzuka City, enshrining the deity Inou-no-Okami. Its forecourt pond, Nanashima-ike, is a spring-fed garden built into the valley terrain at the foot of a hill, carrying a legend that the monk Kobo Daishi created it in a single night. Excavated wheel-thrown earthenware suggests the pond dates back at least to the late Heian period, and as a pre-Muromachi work it is designated a Mie Prefectural Place of Scenic Beauty. The shrine's other treasure is its lion kagura (a Mie Prefectural Intangible Folk Cultural Property), said to descend from a post-war rite in which Emperor Tenmu buried a beast deity in thanks for victory, performed only in the "dance year" once every three years. Purple azaleas grow in profusion across the precincts, making it known for early-summer blossom as well. Here folk belief, garden history, and performing arts converge within a single sacred site.
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01The lion kagura (prefectural intangible folk property): black-clad dancers and a long lion cloth surging across the dance ground
- 02Nanashima-ike, a spring-fed garden with a Kobo Daishi legend — a prefectural Place of Scenic Beauty thought to reach back to the late Heian period
- 03The archaic beast-deity offering seen only in the once-in-three-years 'dance year,' set among groves of purple azalea
A C C E S S ／ M E T A
Essentials
- Location
- Mie Prefecture Suzuka City
- Address
- 〒510-0204 三重県鈴鹿市稲生西2-24-20
- Fee
- 境内無料（七島池・神楽の特別公開は時期により異なる）
- Hours
- 境内自由（社務所受付 8:30〜17:00）
- Status
- 現存
- Official
- https://inou-jinja.com/
- Nearest
- JR関西本線「河曲駅」または近鉄名古屋線「玉垣駅」
- Walk
- 30 min
- Parking
- あり・無料（第1駐車場〔正面〕・第2駐車場〔北側〕。祭礼・初詣時は配置変更）
- Time
- 30分〜1時間（神楽奉納日は半日）