Tongu
The Tongu is a temporary enshrinement site used to house the deities of Usa Jingu Shrine during certain rituals. It consists of two structures: a sanctuary for the deities and a dedicated storehouse for the mikoshi portable shrines used to ceremonially transport them. The Tongu plays an important role in the summer Goshinkosai festival, enshrining the deities of the Jogu (Upper Shrine) for three days and two nights. Throughout the Goshinkosai, the Tongu hosts several rituals, including the Suganuki purification rite, which is unique to Usa Jingu.
Historically, sites called tongu were used to temporarily enshrine deities during periods of ritual reconstruction that prominent shrines carried out at designated intervals. In the case of Usa Jingu, the shrine structures were rebuilt every 33 years between the ninth and the fourteenth centuries. During that period, three tongu were specially built each time to house the deities from the Jogu, the Gegu (Lower Shrine), and Wakamiya Jinja Shrine, respectively, and were dismantled after reconstruction was complete.
The current Tongu is primarily used during annual festivals with mikoshi rather than during repair works on the sanctuaries, and its structures are permanent. The previous Tongu for enshrining deities during the Goshinkosai festival was erected in 1680 outside of the large Otorii gate near the Shinkyo Bridge, and the present version was built during the Great Showa Reconstruction of Usa Jingu grounds (1932–1941).
