Shirayama-hime Shrine Treasure Hall

Shirayama-hime Shrine in Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is the head shrine of approximately 2,700 Hakusan shrines throughout Japan. The holy mountain Hakusan (2,702 m), one of Japan's three celebrated sacred peaks alongside Mt. Fuji and Mt. Tateyama, has drawn pilgrims since the Nara-period monk Taicho opened it for worship. The shrine's treasure hall holds an extraordinary assembly of sword artifacts connected to one of Japan's most revered swordsmiths.

The National Treasure "Ken, Signed Yoshimitsu" (total length 22.9 cm) is a short sword bearing the signature of Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, the renowned Kamakura-period master who is counted alongside Masamune and Yukimitsu among the greatest smiths of his era. This National Treasure sword is owned by the shrine but is currently on deposit at the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, where it is displayed on occasional special exhibitions; it is not on view in the shrine's own treasure hall.

The shrine's treasure hall itself displays other remarkable sword artifacts. Most striking is a large tachi (total length 186.5 cm, weight 7.1 kg) traditionally associated with the retinue of Magara Naotaka, a warrior from the Kaga domain era — one of the largest surviving swords in Japan, its sheer scale is arresting. The Important Cultural Property "Tachi, Signed Nagamitsu" by the Bizen master Nagamitsu is also preserved here, representing a precious medieval donation to this mountain shrine. The treasure hall is open April–October (9:00–16:00) and November (9:30–15:30); it closes entirely December–March.