After passing over three water barriers (each having purificatory powers on the visitor) and zigzagging along a path designed to thwart "malevolent arrows" (which can only travel in straight lines) aimed at the shrine, one passes through the Romon gate and arrives at the inner courtyard. This area is used for many events, but most often it becomes the stage for group photos. The gentleman in the front row was the shrine's head priest during the time of my fieldwork, Rev. Makoto Abe.
Just behind the last row of the group is as far as the general public is allowed into the shrine (with the exception of new year's and a couple other major ritual events). Through this final gate, the Chuumon, lies the innermost courtyard and dual sanctuaries for the kami Wake Ikazuchi.
All photos and text © Copyright John K. Nelson, 1999