Mimasaka Province Ichinomiya
Nakayama Jinja
中山神社
Nakayama Jinja is the ichinomiya — the leading shrine — of the former Mimasaka Province, in present-day Okayama. It has a car park (about 500 spaces); the sources we checked do not give a fee. Without a car, a local tourism body gives 1 route from a station (by bus); the station names are listed below. We found 3 entries for the shrine in Japan’s national database of designated cultural properties. The nearest other ichinomiya is Isonokamifutsumitama Jinja, 28 km to the south in a straight line.
Getting there
岡山県津山市一宮 695
The address is given in Japanese on purpose. Show it to a taxi driver, or copy it into a car navigation system — an English transliteration will not be recognised.
For a car navigation system
- Phone
- Japanese car navigation searches by phone number. This is the fastest way to enter a destination.
- Coordinates
- Derived from the address down to the street number, via Japan's national mapping agency. Not a survey of the hall itself
- Address
How to rent and drive a car in Japan →
Car hire Ad
Search rental cars on Tabirai (English)
Opens the English site of Tabirai, a Japanese car rental booking service. We have not compared its prices or cars. This is an affiliate link (A8.net): if you book, the site earns a commission at no extra cost to you.
By train and bus
- From 津山駅JR
- By bus, about 20 min.
The source, word for word (bus stop names included):
JR津山駅から西田辺行きバス約20分「一宮保育所前」下車すぐ
Taken from a local tourism body (岡山観光WEB「中山神社」, checked 2026-10-08). Station and stop names stay in Japanese so you can match them to signs. Fares and timetables are not given — they change.
Parking
It has a car park (about 500 spaces); the sources we checked do not give a fee.
岡山県神社庁は駐車場「有 500台」、岡山県の公式観光サイト「岡山観光WEB」も「駐車場 500台」と記載しています。料金の記載はどちらにもありません。
The note above is in Japanese; it usually records dates when the car park is closed, and the fee.
Visiting the 5 ichinomiya in Okayama in one day? Work out an order that reaches each office before it closes →
History in brief
- Founding
- According to tradition, a shrine was built here in 707 (Keiun 4) under Emperor Monmu to worship Kagamitsukuri-no-Kami.
- History
- Fires in 1511 and 1533 destroyed the main hall, the subsidiary shrines, treasures and old records.
- Buildings
- In 1559, Amago Haruhisa of Izumo rebuilt the shrine in thanks for a victory in battle.
- History
- After Mori Tadamasa took over Mimasaka in Keicho 8, successive lords donated land and funds for repairs.
Summarised from the prefectural shrine association (岡山県神社庁 中山神社, checked 2026-10-08). Traditions are given as the shrine tells them, not as established history.
Enshrined deities
- Kagamitsukuri-no-Kami 鏡作神
- 天糠戸神 天糠戸神 shares the hall
- Ishikoridome-no-Mikoto 石凝姥神 shares the hall 2 ichinomiya enshrine this deity →
The prefectural shrine association says Kagamitsukuri-no-Kami is the principal deity, with Amenonukado-no-Kami and Ishikoridome-no-Kami in the same hall, as recorded in family traditions and old records before the Meiji period.
Our English summary of the Japanese description. Spelling as given by the prefectural shrine office or local authority.
Nationally designated cultural properties
- 中山神社本殿
-
Important Cultural Property
桁行三間、梁間三間、一重、入母屋造、妻入、向拝一間、向唐破風造、檜皮葺
designated 1914-04-17 · late Muromachi period - 中山神社幣殿
- Registered Tangible Cultural Property (religious building)
- 中山神社拝殿
- Registered Tangible Cultural Property (religious building)
Source: the national register. All of them together →
Festivals
- Principal annual festival
-
１１月３日 秋季大祭（御神幸祭）
source
The shrine itself does not call this its 例祭. We placed its heaviest festival here; that is our judgement, not the shrine's wording.
Other festivals and rituals
- 春季大祭（御田植祭）
- ４月２９日
- だんじり
- no date stated
- 神輿行事
- 11月3日13:00
- 夏越祓
- 7月18日18:00
- 神明祭
- 1月14日午前
Nearest ichinomiya
The closest is Isonokamifutsumitama Jinja, about 28 km to the south in a straight line, the ichinomiya of Bizen Province. After that come Shizuri Jinja (44 km north) and Kibitsuhiko Jinja (49 km south).
Straight-line distances between the shrines, not road distances. Across mountains or water, the drive is much longer.
Why this shrine is called an ichinomiya
Listed by the pilgrimage association
It appears on the map published by the Ichinomiya Pilgrimage Association. We have not yet checked other primary sources.
- 全国一の宮巡拝会『全国一の宮神社所在地』（平成30年5月・改訂版 第4版） (checked 2026-09-09)
More on how the shrines of this province relate to one another is on the Mimasaka Province page.
Historical rank
- Province
- Mimasaka Province (San'yōdō)
- Prefecture
- Okayama
- Engishiki (927)
- Myōjin Taisha
- Former state rank (1871–1946)
- Kokuhei Chūsha
Sources
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/spot/10532 (checked 2026-09-09)
- https://www.okayama-jinjacho.or.jp/search/16978/ (checked 2026-09-10)
- https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/spot/detail_10532.html (checked 2026-09-10)
How we handle spellings, festival selection, former ranks and map accuracy is set out once on the About page.