The Calendar of 
MapThe Calendar of the Yearly Festivals
059 059 059 Hino Shrine
Iwami Town Ōtani
Picture of the Kirin’s Head
Picture of the Shoujou’s Mask
| Date of the Festival | Spring: Closest Saturday and Sunday to April-15 Autumn: Closest Sunday to September-15 |
|---|---|
| Time for the Kirin Dance at the Shrine | Eve of the festival: 2 p.m./ Festival day: 8 a.m. |
| Origin | Meiji era (1868-1912) |
| Characteristics | Although rare for Tottori Prefecture, the shrine has two female Kirin. The two Kirin dance together during the spring festival, one taking position in the east, the other in the west. The dance is performed in a remarkably low position. |
| Area | Iwami Town Ōtani |
Introduction to the Shrine
Hino Shrine
The year of the shrine's founding is unknown. Its name can be found in the "Engishiki", a book of laws and customs compiled in 927.
■Deity of the Shrine
Homutawake-no-Kami
■cultural property
[Kirin Dance]
Designated as a Tottori Prefecture Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1998.
Designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2020.
Access to the Shrine
Ōtani 2181, Iwami Town, Iwami County, Tottori Prefecture(MAP)
A twenty-minute walk from Ōiwa Station on the JR San'in Main Line.
A three-minute walk from ""Ōtani"" bus stop on the Iwai Bus Line.
A three-minute walk from ""Ōtani Higashiguchi"" bus stop on the Iwai Bus Line.
Related Information
Sites Associated with the Kirin Dances
Monuments around the Tottori Station
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Wooden Benches
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Sand Sculpture of Kirin
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Stone Sculpture of Kirin
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Tottori Toshogu in the Ouchidani Park
Tottori Toshogu was established by Mitsunaka Ikeda, a local lord, in the 17th century, and is a branch shrine of Nikko Toshogu. The shrine inherits the initial Kirin, which is now stored in the Tottori Prefectural Museum. During Gongen Matsuri, a festival in October, members of the Inaba Kirin Dance Club dance before the shrine’s deity, and a procession of a mikoshi (portable shrine) walks through to animate the festival.
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The Imeitei Pioneer Memorial Gallery of Hamasaka
Imeitei is a gallery remodeled by Shichikamaya Yashiki (Shichikamaya Mansion) of the Mori family, who until lately ran a sake-brewery. It is a historical and folk gallery where visitors can trace the footsteps of the pioneers living around the Shin-onsen Town. The head of the Kirin from the Utsuno Shrine is displayed in the gallery. It is designated as the town’s cultural heritage.
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Sora no Eki Park (Sky Station Park) at the Amarube Bridge
The origin of the Kirin from the Junisha Shrine, a shrine in adjacent to the Yoroi district, is the Kirin dance performed in the Iwami Town. This dance was a part of the inauguration of the Amarube Bridge at the end of the Meiji period. Visitors can see children’s drawings of the Kirin displayed in Sora no Eki at the Amarube Bridge and the park at the foot of the Amarube Crystal Tower. The roadside stations in vicinity are also worth sightseeing.
