View of Tenmangū Shrine
This room affords a clear view of Tenmangū Shrine, which is located across from Himeji Castle on Otokoyama Hill. Built in 1623 on the instructions of Princess Sen (1597–1666), Tenmangū enshrines the Shinto deity Tenjin, patron of scholarship and knowledge. Before the shrine’s construction, Princess Sen is said to have worshipped Tenjin at a smaller shrine on the castle grounds—offering prayers for the Honda clan and to calm the spirit of her first husband, Toyotomi Hideyori (1593–1615).
On display in the connecting gallery is a hagoita—a wooden game paddle—that is said to have been donated to Tenmangū by Princess Sen.