Some examples of Shinto architecture
Shinto architecture is the architecture of Japanese Shinto shrines.
With a few exceptions like Ise Grand Shrine and Izumo Taisha, Shinto shrines before Buddhism were mostly temporary structures erected to a particular purpose. Buddhism brought to Japan the idea of permanent shrines and the presence of verandas, stone lanterns, and elaborate gates are some which are used both in a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple.
The composition of a Shinto shrine is extremely variable, and none of its possible features are necessarily present. Even the or sanctuary, the part which houses the and which is the centerpiece of a shrine, can be missing. However, since its grounds are sacred, they usually are surrounded by a fence made of stone or wood called , while access is made possible by an approach called . The entrances themselves are straddled by gates called , which are therefore the simplest way to identify a Shinto shrine.
A shrine may include within its grounds several structures, each destined to a different purpose.The History of Shrines, Encyclopedia of Shinto, retrieved on June 10, 2008 Among them are the or sanctuary, where the are enshrined, the , or hall of offerings, where offers and prayers are presented, and the or hall of worship, where there may be seats for worshipers. The honden is the building that contains the , literally, "the sacred body of the ". Of these, only the is open to the laity. The is located behind the and is usually much smaller and unadorned. Other notable shrine features are the , the fountain where visitors cleanse their hands and mouth and the (), the office that supervises the shrine. Shrines can be very large, as for example Ise Shrine, or as small as a beehive, as in the case of the , small shrines frequently found on road sides.
Before the forced separation of Shinto and Buddhism (), it was not uncommon for a Buddhist temple to be built inside or next to a shrine or to the contrary for a shrine to include Buddhist subtemples (). If a shrine was also a Buddhist temple, it was called a . At the same time, temples in the entire country adopted tutelary ( and built temple shrines called to house them.Mark Teeuwen in Breen and Teeuwen (2000:95-96) After the forcible separation of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines () ordered by the new government in the Meiji period, the connection between the two religions was officially severed, but continued nonetheless in practice.
The origin of shrines
The practice of marking sacred areas began in Japan as early as the Yayoi period (from about 500 BC to 300 AD) originating from primal Shinto tenets. Features in the landscape such as rocks, waterfalls, islands, and especially mountains, were places believed to be capable of attracting , and subsequently were worshiped as . Originally, sacred places may have been simply marked with a surrounding fence and an entrance gate or . Later, temporary buildings similar to present day portable shrines were constructed to welcome the gods to the sacred place. Over time the temporary structures evolved into permanent structures that were dedicated to the gods. Ancient shrines were constructed according to the style of dwellings (Izumo Taisha) or storehouses (Ise Grand Shrine). The buildings had gabled roofs, raised floors, plank walls, and were thatched with reed or covered with hinoki cypress bark. Such early shrines did not include a space for worship. Three important forms of ancient shrine architectural styles exist: , , and . They are exemplified by Izumo Taisha, Nishina Shinmei Shrine and Sumiyoshi Taisha respectively and date to before 552. According to the tradition of , the buildings or shrines were faithfully rebuilt at regular intervals adhering to the original design. In this manner, ancient styles have been replicated through the centuries to the present day.Presently only the Ise Grand Shrine is being rebuilt every 20 years.
Common features
The following is a diagram illustrating the most important elements of a Shinto shrine: – Shinto gate Stone stairs – the approach to the shrine or – fountain to cleanse one's hands and face – decorative stone lanterns – building dedicated to or the sacred dance – the shrine's administrative office – wooden plaques bearing prayers or wishes / – small auxiliary shrines – the so-called "lion dogs", guardians of the shrine – oratory – fence surrounding the – main hall, enshrining the . On the roof of the and are visible (forked roof finials) and (short horizontal logs), both common shrine ornamentations.
Gate ()
The is a gate which marks the entrance to a sacred area, usually but not necessarily a shrine.Encyclopedia of Shinto Torii, accessed on December 15, 2009 A shrine may have any number of (Fushimi Inari Taisha has thousands) made of wood, stone, metal, concrete or any other material. They can be found in different places within a shrine's precincts to signify an increased level of holiness.
can often be found also at Buddhist temples, however they are an accepted symbol of Shinto, and as such are used to mark shrines on maps.
The origin of the is unclear, and no existing theory has been accepted as valid. They may for example have originated in India as a derivative of the gates in the monastery of Sanchi, which is located in central India.JAANUS, Torii accessed on December 12, 2009
Pathway ()
The is the road approaching either a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version. Its point of origin is usually straddled in the first case by a Shinto , in the second by a Buddhist , gates which mark the beginning of the shrine's or temple territory. There can also be stone lanterns and other decorations at any point along its course. There can be more than one , in which case the main one is called , or front , , or rear , etc.
Fountain ()
Before entering the shrine, visitors are supposed to wash their hands and mouths at a fountain built to the purpose called or .
Guardian lion-dogs ()
The two "lions" in front of a shrine are in effect warden dogs called . They were so called because they were thought to have been brought to Japan from China via Korea, and their name derives from , the Japanese term for the Korean kingdom of Koguryo.JAANUS, Komainu, accessed on November 8, 2009 They are almost identical, but one has the mouth open, the other closed. This is a very common pattern in statue pairs at both temples and shrines, and has an important symbolic meaning. The open mouth is pronouncing the first letter of the sanskrit alphabet ("a"), the closed one the last ("um"), representing the beginning and the end of all things.JAANUS, A un, accessed on November 8, 2009 The one with the open mouth is called , the other , a name that in time came to be used for both animals.
Worship hall ()
The is the hall of worship or oratory of the shrine. It is generally placed in front of the shrine's main sanctuary () and often built on a larger scale than the latter. The is often connected to the by a , or hall of offerings. While the is the place for the enshrined and off-limits to the general public, the provides a space for ceremonies and for worshiping the .
Offertory hall ()
The is the part of a shrine used to house offerings, and normally consists of a section linking the and the .Heiden, JAANUS, accessed on November 17, 2009 It can also be called or in other ways, and its position can sometimes vary. In spite of its name, nowadays it is used mostly for rituals.
Sanctuary ()
The , also called is the most sacred building of a shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined . The , in itself incorporeal, is represented physically by a go-shintai, such as a mirror or a statue., Encyclopædia Britannica The building is normally in the rear of the shrine and closed to the general public.
Other elements
A or is a very small Shinto shrine either found on the precincts of a larger shrine and dedicated to folk , or on a street side, enshrining not under the jurisdiction of any large shrine.Encyclopedia of Shinto, Hokora. Accessed on December 14, 2009 , minor protecting travelers from evil spirits, may for example be enshrined in a .
and , also called are small or miniature shrines having a deep historical relationship with a more important shrine or with the it enshrines, and fall under that shrine's jurisdiction. The two terms used to have different meanings, but must be today considered synonyms. For this reason, this kind of shrine is now sometimes called .The term is the combination of the two terms and .
Most common shrine styles
Shrine buildings can have many different basic layouts, usually named either after a famous shrine's (e.g. , named after Hiyoshi Taisha), or a structural characteristic (e.g. , after the hip-and-gable roof it adopts. The suffix in this case means "structure".)
The 's roof is always gabled, and some styles also have a veranda-like aisle called (a 1- wide corridor surrounding one or more sides of the core of a shrine or temple). Among the factors involved in the classification, important are the presence or absence of:
or () – a style of construction in which the building has its main entrance on the side which runs parallel to the roof's ridge (non gabled-side). The , , , and belong to this type. or () – a style of construction in which the building has its main entrance on the side which runs perpendicular to the roof's ridge (gabled side). The , , and belong to this type.
Proportions are also important. A building of a given style often must have certain proportions measured in (the distance between pillars, a quantity variable from one shrine to another or even within the same shrine).
The oldest styles are the , , and , believed to predate the arrival of Buddhism.
The two most common are the and the .Encyclopedia of Shinto,History and Typology of Shrine Architecture, accessed on November 29, 2009 Larger, more important shrines tend to have unique styles.
The or is a style characterized by a very asymmetrical gabled roof ( in Japanese) projecting outwards on the non-gabled side, above the main entrance, to form a portico. This is the feature which gives the style its name, the most common among shrines all over the country.
Sometimes the basic layout consisting of an elevated partially surrounded by a veranda called (all under the same roof) is modified by the addition of a room in front of the entrance. The varies in roof ridge length from 1 to 11 , but is never 6 or 8 .JAANUS, Nagare-zukuri, accessed on December 1, 2009 The most common sizes are 1 and 3 . The oldest shrine in Japan, Uji's Ujigami Shrine, has a of this type. Its external dimensions are 5x3 , but internally it is composed of three measuring 1 each.
as a style takes its name from Kasuga Taisha's . It is characterized by the extreme smallness of the building, just 11 in size. In Kasuga Taisha's case, this translates in 1.9 m 2.6 m.JAANUS, Kasuga-zukuri, accessed on December 1, 2009 The roof is gabled with a single entrance at the gabled end, decorated with and , covered with cypress bark and curved upwards at the eaves. Supporting structures are painted vermillion, while the plank walls are white.
After the , this is the most common style, with most instances in the Kansai region around Nara.
Other styles Follows a list of other styles (in alphabetical order). Many are rare, some unique. Most deal with the structure of a single building but others, for example the style, define instead the relationship between member structures. In that case, the same building can fall under two separate classifications. For example, the and at Ōsaki Hachimangū are single-storied, edifices. Because they are connected by a passage called and are covered by a single roof, however, the complex is classified as belonging to the style (also called ).