Hyojito Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture; President and CEO: Takahiro Tokumo), which develops area guide maps and other information displays, has installed a "Shrine Navita" (神社ナビタ) at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture.
Through this installation, Hyojito aims to advance a social contribution initiative built on its latest technology, helping an increasingly diverse range of worshippers learn accurate information about Japanese culture and shrine customs, while making it easier to find information about the surrounding area and the shrine grounds. The project was carried out at the request of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.
A Shrine with Roughly 1,500 Years of History
Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine is said to have been founded around 1,500 years ago, in the second year of Emperor Kinmei's reign (541 AD) during the Kofun period. Since Ota Doshin and his son Dokan built Kawagoe Castle in the first year of the Choroku era (1457) during the Muromachi period, the shrine has been deeply revered as the guardian shrine of Kawagoe. The five deities enshrined there form a single family that includes two married couples, and for this reason the shrine has long been worshipped as a deity of matchmaking (enmusubi).
The shrine's main hall has also been recommended for designation as a National Important Cultural Property, and together with the "Kawagoe Hikawa Festival Float Event," registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016, it is recognized as a cultural asset where ritual and architecture come together.
Left: The main hall of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine / Right: The shrine's torii gate
Multilingual Guidance for Visitors
The Shrine Navita installed at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine measures 2,100mm in total height, 1,999mm in width, and 488mm in depth. On the left side, an LED-illuminated, ema (votive tablet)-shaped panel displays information about sponsoring companies and shops, while the right side features a 49-inch touchscreen digital signage display. Visitors can view the shrine's history and origins, festival information, a guide to the grounds, and proper worship and temizu (purification) etiquette, all in both Japanese and English.
The main hall is currently awaiting an official gazette notice before it can be formally designated a National Important Cultural Property.
The digital signage operates from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM (hours may vary by season).
Comment from Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine's Chief Priest, Yoshihisa Yamada
"Even though this is a modern piece of equipment, I feel that the digital signage installed this time has been thoughtfully designed, with colors and details that harmonize with the shrine's overall scenery. As for the guide map, rather than fixing north at the top, it is displayed in the direction visitors are actually facing as they walk, making it intuitive to grasp the relationship between one's current location and destination — it's a very easy-to-read map design."
"Our shrine has long been cherished as a deity of matchmaking, welcoming many worshippers every day, and in recent years the number of visitors from overseas has been increasing as well. At the same time, there are moments when foreign-language guidance for shrine-specific worship customs doesn't fully reach everyone. Against that backdrop, I feel great value in being able to bring information together in one place and, through multilingual guidance on the digital signage, convey accurate information about Japan's traditional culture and the shrine grounds without visitors feeling lost."
"Each year, starting in late June, we hold the 'Enmusubi Furin' wind chime festival, along with a variety of seasonal events throughout the year. Going forward, I hope that by sharing information carefully with everyone, from regular worshippers to sightseeing visitors, more people will take an interest in the shrine, and that this becomes an occasion for them to return again."
About Shrine Navita
Hyojito calls the Navita units it installs at shrines "Shrine Navita." It is an original medium that brings together the company's technology for digital signage, illuminated maps and comprehensive information boards, and listings of sponsoring and neighboring businesses.
