Kibitsu Jinja (Bitchū)

Kibitsu Jinja.

In the western prefecture of Okayama stands a shrine of remarkable architecture, and a remarkable story.

Long ago, this region — called Kibi — was a powerful kingdom in its own right, rivaling the central court of Yamato. Its leader was the inspiration for what would later become the most famous folktale in Japan: Momotaro, the Peach Boy, who defeated a demon and brought peace to the land.

The shrine sits where the historical leader is said to have made his stand against the demon. Some local stories still locate the demon's iron palace nearby. The folktale, the local archaeology, and the shrine itself all point to the same patch of ground.

The main hall is unlike anything else in Japan. Two large peaked roofs rise side by side, joined together — a style called "twin gables." It is found nowhere else in the country, designated a National Treasure. Standing before it, the building seems to spread its wings.

Then there is the corridor.

A wooden walkway, three hundred and sixty meters long and roofed against the rain, runs from the main hall down through the grounds. Walking it slowly, with the light filtering through the wooden lattice, the rest of the world disappears. Only your footsteps remain.

The folktale of Momotaro is, for most Japanese people, a bedtime story. But here, in this corridor, you are walking through the place where the story was once not a story.

It was just news.