Sato-miya

   'Village shrine'. Part of a two-shrine complex dedicated to the same mountain kami. One shrine, the sato-miya, is located conveniently in or near a village. It is paired with another shrine of the same kami in an inaccessible place, such as high up the mountain. There are two interpretations of the function of a sato-miya. It may be seen as a yohai-jo ('worship from afar' shrine) of the second shrine, or it may be the second home of a kami who travels from the mountain to the plain according to the agricultural cycle.

   See also Okumiya.