# Shinto shrine

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Japanese shrine of the Shinto religion

Two women praying in front of a shrine

Part of a series on Shinto Beliefs Animism/Animatism Kami List of deities Mythology Polytheism Sacred objects Sects and schools Major kami Amaterasu Ame-no-Uzume Inari Izanagi Izanami Susanoo Tsukuyomi Important literature Kojiki (c. 711 CE) Nihon Shoki (720 CE) Fudoki (713–723 CE) Shoku Nihongi (797 CE) Kogo Shūi (807 CE) Kujiki (807–936 CE) Engishiki (927 CE) Shinto shrines Association of Shinto Shrines Ichinomiya List of Shinto shrines Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines Shinto architecture Twenty-Two Shrines Practices Festivals Shinto priest Miko Music Ritual dance Ritual incantations Ritual purification See also Edo neo-Confucianism Glossary of Shinto History Kokugaku Ko-Shintō Mythical creatures Nippon Kaigi Religion in Japan Secular Shrine Theory State Shinto Syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism Religion portal v t e

A **Shinto shrine** (神社, *jinja*; archaic: *shinsha*, meaning: 'kami shrine')[1] is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more *[kami](/source/Kami)*, the deities of the [Shinto](/source/Shinto) religion.[2]

The main hall (本殿, *[honden](/source/Honden)*)[note 1] is where a shrine's patron *kami* is or are enshrined.[2][3] The *honden* may be absent in cases where a shrine stands on or near a sacred mountain, tree, or other object which can be worshipped directly or in cases where a shrine possesses either an altar-like structure, called a *[himorogi](/source/Himorogi)*, or an object believed to be capable of attracting spirits, called a *[yorishiro](/source/Yorishiro)*, which can also serve as direct bonds to a *kami*.[4] There may be a hall of worship (拝殿, *[haiden](/source/Haiden_(Shinto))*) and other structures as well.

Although only one word ("shrine") is used in English, in Japanese, Shinto shrines may carry any one of many different, non-equivalent names like *gongen*, *-gū*, *jinja*, *jingū*, *mori*, *myōjin*, *-sha*, *taisha*, *ubusuna*, or *yashiro*. Miniature shrines (*[hokora](/source/Hokora)*) can occasionally be found on roadsides. Large shrines sometimes have on their precincts miniature shrines, *sessha* (摂社) or *massha* (末社).[note 2] *[Mikoshi](/source/Mikoshi)*, the palanquins which are carried on poles during festivals (*[matsuri](/source/Matsuri)*), also enshrine *kami* and are therefore considered shrines.

In 927 [CE](/source/Common_Era), the [Engi-shiki](/source/Engi-shiki) (延喜式; lit. 'Procedures of the Engi Era') was promulgated. This work listed all of the 2,861 Shinto shrines existing at the time, and the 3,131 official-recognized and enshrined *kami*.[5] In 1972, the [Agency for Cultural Affairs](/source/Agency_for_Cultural_Affairs) placed the number of shrines at 79,467, mostly affiliated with the [Association of Shinto Shrines](/source/Association_of_Shinto_Shrines) (神社本庁).[6] Some shrines, such as the [Yasukuni Shrine](/source/Yasukuni_Shrine), are totally independent of any outside authority.[7] The number of Shinto shrines in Japan is estimated to be around 100,000.[8]

Since ancient times, the *[Shake](/source/Shake_(social_class))* (社家) families dominated Shinto shrines through hereditary positions, and at some shrines the hereditary succession continues to present day.

The [Unicode](/source/Unicode) character representing a Shinto shrine (for example, [on maps](/source/List_of_Japanese_map_symbols)) is U+26E9 ⛩ SHINTO SHRINE.

## Etymology

Etymology of Jinja from oracle bone characters

*Jinja* ([神社](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%A5%9E%E7%A4%BE)) is the most general word for a Shinto shrine.[9] Any place that has a *[honden](/source/Honden)* (本殿) is a *jinja*.[2] The word *jinja* used to have two more readings, *kamu-tsu-yashiro* and *mori*, both of which are [kun'yomi](/source/Kun'yomi) readings and mean 'kami grove'.[10] Both of these older readings can be found, for example, in the [Man'yōshū](/source/Man'y%C5%8Dsh%C5%AB).[10]

*Sha* (社), the second character in *jinja* (神社) by itself, was not initially a secular term. Historically, in Chinese, it could refer to a [Tudigong](/source/Tudigong) or 'soil god', a kind of [tutelary deity](/source/Tutelary_deity) seen as subordinate to the [City Gods](/source/City_God_(China)).[11] Such deities are also often called *shèshén* (社神) or *shénshè* (神社).[11] The kun'yomi reading of *sha*, *yashiro*, is a generic term for a Shinto shrine, much like *jinja*.[2][10] *Sha* or, [occasionally](/source/Rendaku), *ja* can also be used as a suffix, as in *Shinmei-sha* or *Tenjin-ja*. As a suffix, this indicates a minor shrine that has received a *kami* from a more important shrine through the *[kanjō](/source/Kanj%C5%8D)* process.[9]

*Mori* (杜; lit. 'grove') are places where *kami* are present.[2] These places can therefore be shrines and, in fact, 神社, 社 and 杜 can all be read as *mori*.[10] This reading reflects the fact that the first shrines were simply [sacred groves](/source/Sacred_grove) or forests where *kami* were present.[10]

*Hokora* or *hokura* (神庫) are extremely small shrines like the ones that can be found, for example, along country roads.[12] The term *[hokora](/source/Hokora)* (祠), believed to have been one of the first words for a Shinto shrine, evolved from the word *hokura* (神庫; lit. 'kami repository'). This fact seems to indicate that the first shrines were huts built to house *[yorishiro](/source/Yorishiro)*.[13][note 3]

*-gū* ([宮](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%AE%AE)) indicates a shrine enshrining an imperial prince. However, there are many instances where it is used simply as a tradition.[9] The word *gū* (宮), often found at the end of shrine names such as [Hachimangū](/source/Hachimang%C5%AB), [Tenmangū](/source/Tenmang%C5%AB), or [Jingū](/source/List_of_Jing%C5%AB) (神宮), comes from the Chinese word *gong* (宮), meaning 'a palace or a temple to a high deity'.

A *jingū* (神宮) is a shrine of particularly high status that has a deep relationship with the Imperial household or enshrines an Emperor. This is the case for both Ise Jingū and Meiji Jingū.[9] *Jingū* alone, however, only refers to Ise Jingū, whose official name is just that.[9] It is a formulation close to *jinja* (神社), with the character *sha* (社) being replaced with *gū* (宮) to emphasize its high rank.

*Miya* (宮), the kun'yomi reading of *-gū*, indicates a shrine that is enshrining a special *kami* or a member of the Imperial household like the Empress. However, there are many examples, much like with *-gū*, in which it is used simply as a tradition.[2] During the period of state regulation, many shrines changed the *-miya* in their names to *jinja*.

A *taisha* or *ōyashiro* (大社; lit. 'great shrine') is a shrine that was classified as such under the old system of shrine ranking, the *[shakaku](/source/Modern_system_of_ranked_Shinto_Shrines)* (社格), which was abolished in 1946.[2][14] Many shrines carrying that *shōgō* or 'title' adopted it only after the war.[9]

A *[chinjusha](/source/Chinjusha)* (鎮守社・鎮社; tutelary shrine) is a shrine housing a tutelary *kami* that protects a given area, village, building, or Buddhist temple. The word *chinjusha* comes from the words *chinju* (鎮守・鎮; guardian) and *sha* (社; shrine).

*[Setsumatsusha](/source/Setsumatsusha)* (摂末社)[15] is a combination of two words: *sessha* (摂社; auxiliary shrine) and *massha* (末社; undershrine).[16] They are also called *eda-miya* (枝宮; branch shrines).[16]

During the [Japanese Middle Ages](/source/History_of_Japan#Feudal_Japan_(1185-1603)), shrines started being called *[gongen](/source/Gongen)* (権現), a term of Buddhist origin.[17] For example, in Eastern Japan, there are still many Hakusan shrines where the shrine itself is called *gongen*.[17] Because it represents the application of Buddhist terminology to Shinto *kami*, its use was legally abolished by the Meiji government with the [Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order](/source/Shinbutsu_bunri) (神仏判然令, *Shin-butsu Hanzenrei*), and shrines began to be called *jinja*.[17]

## History

### Early origins

[Mount Nantai](/source/Mount_Nantai), worshiped at [Futarasan Shrine](/source/Futarasan_Shrine), has the shape of the [phallic](/source/Phallic_symbol) stone rods found in pre-agricultural [Jōmon](/source/J%C5%8Dmon_period) sites.

Ancestors are *kami* to be worshipped. [Yayoi period](/source/Yayoi_period) village councils sought the advice of ancestors and other *kami*, and developed instruments, *[yorishiro](/source/Yorishiro)* (依り代; lit. 'approach substitute'), to evoke them.[18] These were conceived to attract the *kami* and allow them physical space, thus making *kami* accessible to human beings.[18]

Village council sessions were held in quiet spots in the mountains or in forests near great trees or other natural objects that served as *yorishiro*.[18] These sacred places and their *yorishiro* gradually evolved into today's shrines, whose origins can be still seen in the Japanese words for "mountain" and "forest", which can also mean "shrine".[18] Many shrines have on their grounds one of the original great *yorishiro*: a big tree, surrounded by a sacred rope called a *[shimenawa](/source/Shimenawa)* (標縄・注連縄・七五三縄).[18][note 4]

The first buildings at places dedicated to worship were hut-like structures built to house some *yorishiro*.[18] A trace of this origin can be found in the term *hokura* (神庫; lit. 'deity storehouse'), which evolved into *hokora* (written identically) and is considered to be one of the first words for shrine.[18][note 5]

### First temporary shrines

True shrines arose with the beginning of agriculture, when the need arose to attract *kami* to ensure good harvests.[19] These were, however, just temporary structures built for a particular purpose, a tradition of which's traces can be found in some rituals.[19][*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*]

Hints of the first shrines can still be found.[18] [Ōmiwa Shrine](/source/%C5%8Cmiwa_Shrine) in [Nara](/source/Nara%2C_Nara), for example, contains no sacred images or objects because it is believed to serve the mountain on which it stands—images or objects are therefore unnecessary.[18][20] For the same reason, it has a worship hall, a *haiden* (拝殿), but no place to house the *kami*, a *shinden* (神殿).[18] Archeology confirms that, during the Yayoi period, the most common *[shintai](/source/Shintai)* (神体), a *yorishiro* actually housing the enshrined *kami*, in the earliest shrines were nearby mountain peaks that supplied stream water to the plains where people lived.[21]

Besides Ōmiwa Shrine, another important example is [Mount Nantai](/source/Mount_Nantai), a [phallus](/source/Phallus)-shaped mountain in [Nikko](/source/Nikk%C5%8D%2C_Tochigi) which constitutes [Futarasan Shrine](/source/Futarasan_Shrine)'s *shintai*.[21] The name Nantai (男体) means 'man's body'.[21] The mountain provides water to the rice paddies below and has the shape of the [phallic](/source/Phallic_symbol) stone rods found in pre-agricultural Jōmon sites.[21]

### First known shrine

The first known Shinto shrine was built in roughly 478.[22]

### Rites and ceremonies

In 905 CE, [Emperor Daigo](/source/Emperor_Daigo) ordered a compilation of Shinto rites and rules. Previous attempts at codification are known to have taken place, but, neither the *Konin* nor the *Jogan Gishiki*[23] survive. Initially under the direction of [Fujiwara no Tokihira](/source/Fujiwara_no_Tokihira), the project stalled at his death in April 909. [Fujiwara no Tadahira](/source/Fujiwara_no_Tadahira), his brother, took charge and, in 927,[24] the *[Engi-shiki](/source/Engi-shiki)* (延喜式; lit. 'Procedures of the Engi Era') was promulgated in fifty volumes.

This, the first formal codification of Shinto rites and [Norito](/source/Norito) (liturgies and prayers) to survive, became the basis for all subsequent Shinto liturgical practice and efforts.[25] In addition to the first ten volumes of this fifty volume work, which concerned worship and the [Department of Worship](/source/Jingi-kan), sections in subsequent volumes addressing the [Ministry of Ceremonies](/source/Ministry_of_Ceremonies_(Japan)) (治部省) and the [Ministry of the Imperial Household](/source/Ministry_of_the_Imperial_Household) (宮内省) regulated Shinto worship and contained liturgical rites and regulation.[26] In 1970, Felicia Gressitt Brock published a two-volume annotated English language translation of the first ten volumes with an introduction entitled *Engi-shiki; procedures of the Engi Era*.

### State Integration

State integration of Shinto began in the 7th and 8th centuries during the *Ritsuryō* (律令) and early [*Heian* periods](/source/Heian_period) (平安時代). During this era, indigenous rituals and shrine architecture were formally incorporated into the Japanese governmental hierarchy.[27] During the *Ritsuryō* period, the [*Taihō* Code](/source/Taih%C5%8D_Code) (大宝律令, *Taihō-ritsuryō*) was written under the reigns of [Emperor Tenmu](/source/Emperor_Tenmu) (672–686) and [Empress Jitō](/source/Empress_Jit%C5%8D) (687–697) and was implemented in 701, marking the initial institutionalization of Shinto in Japan and forming one of the first legal codes that structured the religion.[27][28] This code, along with its many revisions, including the [*Yōrō* Code](/source/Y%C5%8Dr%C5%8D_Code) (養老律令, *Yōrō-ritsuryō*), formed the *[Ritsuryō](/source/Ritsury%C5%8D)* System that defined the *Ritsuryō* period. Under the *Ritsuryō* system, one of the two major branches of the Japanese government was *[Jingikan](/source/Jingikan)* (神祇官, *jingi-kan*), or the Department of Divinity.[29] This department defined the structure of shrines and rituals through the *Ritsuryō* Codes. As part of the *Yōrō* Code, 19 rituals of 13 categories were established, including the following:[29]

- *Chinka-sai* (*hi/ho shizume no matsuri*) was a fire prevention rite, established under the *Ritsuryō* system to prevent fires in imperial palace and other state facilities rather than the prevention of fires in general. It was performed on the last day of the sixth and twelfth months of the lunar calendar within the imperial palace; often in conjunction with *[Ōharae-shiki](/source/%C5%8Charae-shiki)* (大祓式).[30]

- *Chinka-sai* (*hana shizume matsuri*) was a sickness prevention rite performed during the third lunar month. It was believed that when blossoms fell in the springtime, epidemic gods (疫神, *ekishin*; deities believed to spread disease) would set out and spread illnesses across the nation. Official rites were performed at the [*Ōmiwa* Shrine](/source/%C5%8Cmiwa_Shrine) and *Sai* Shrine. Similar practices were also performed among the general public.[31]

- *[Kinen-sai](/source/Kinen-sai)* (*Toshigoi no matsuri*) was a rite performed on the fourth day of the second lunar month to pray for a good harvest. Unlike the *Chinka-sai* rites, *Kinen-sai* was imperially administered nationally and performed at the 3,132 shrines recorded in *[Jinmyochō](/source/Jinmyoch%C5%8D)*.[32] Established in 675 as a rite of the *Ritsuryō* state, it was largely based on a similar Chinese field-sowing rite. In 798, shrines were categorized as either imperially administered shrines (*Jingikan saijin*) or provincially endowed shrines (*kokushi saiki nenshi*). This rite was performed at *Jingikan saijin,* and while the emperor himself wouldn't participate, it was attended by head officials of *Jingikan.* Similar to other palace rituals, *Kinen-sai* died out toward the end of the [*Muromachi* period](/source/Muromachi_period) as a result of military conflict.[32]

## Arrival and influence of Buddhism

The arrival of [Buddhism in Japan](/source/Buddhism_in_Japan) in around the sixth century introduced the concept of a permanent shrine.[19] A great number of Buddhist temples were built next to existing shrines in mixed complexes called *[jingū-ji](/source/Jing%C5%AB-ji)* ([神宮寺](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%A5%9E%E5%AE%AE%E5%AF%BA); lit. 'shrine temple') to help priesthood deal with local *kami*, making those shrines permanent. Some time in their evolution, the word *miya* (宮), meaning 'palace', came into use, indicating that shrines had, by then, become the imposing structures of today.[18]

Once the first permanent shrines were built, Shinto revealed a strong tendency to resist architectural change, a tendency which manifested itself in the so-called *shikinen sengū-sai* (式年遷宮祭), the tradition of rebuilding shrines faithfully at regular intervals, adhering strictly to their original design. This custom is the reason ancient styles have been replicated throughout the centuries to the present day, remaining more or less intact.[19]

[Ise Grand Shrine](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine), still rebuilt every 20 years, is its best extant example. In Shinto, it has played a particularly significant role in preserving ancient architectural styles.[19] [Izumo Taisha](/source/Izumo_Taisha), [Sumiyoshi Taisha](/source/Sumiyoshi_Taisha), and [Nishina Shinmei Shrine](/source/Nishina_Shinmei_Shrine) each represent a different style whose origin is believed to predate [Buddhism](/source/Buddhism) in Japan. These three styles are known respectively as *[taisha-zukuri](/source/Taisha-zukuri)*, *[sumiyoshi-zukuri](/source/Sumiyoshi-zukuri)*, and *[shinmei-zukuri](/source/Shinmei-zukuri)*.

Shrines show various influences, particularly that of Buddhism, a cultural import which provided much of Shinto architecture's vocabulary. The *[rōmon](/source/R%C5%8Dmon)* (楼門, tower gate),[note 6] the *[haiden](/source/Haiden_(Shinto))*, the *[kairō](/source/Kair%C5%8D)* (回廊, corridor), the *[tōrō](/source/T%C5%8Dr%C5%8D)*, or 'stone lantern', and the *[komainu](/source/Komainu)*, or 'lion dogs', are all elements borrowed from Buddhism.

### *Shinbutsu shūgō* and the *jingūji*

Main articles: [Shinbutsu-shūgō](/source/Shinbutsu-sh%C5%ABg%C5%8D) and [Jingū-ji](/source/Jing%C5%AB-ji)

An example of *jingū-ji*: [Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū](/source/Tsurugaoka_Hachiman-g%C5%AB)-ji in an old drawing. In the foreground the shrine-temple's Buddhist structures (not extant), among them a [pagoda](/source/T%C5%8D), a [belltower](/source/Sh%C5%8Dr%C5%8D)  and a *[niōmon](/source/Ni%C5%8Dmon)*. The shrine (extant) is above.

Until the [Meiji period](/source/Meiji_period) (1868–1912), shrines as they exist today were rare. With very few exceptions like [Ise Grand Shrine](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine) and [Izumo Taisha](/source/Izumo_Taisha), they were just a part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy.[33] These complexes were called *[jingū-ji](/source/Jing%C5%AB-ji)* (神宮寺; lit. 'shrine temple'), places of worship composed of a [Buddhist temple](/source/Buddhist_temples_in_Japan) and of a shrine dedicated to a local *kami*.[34]

The complexes were born when a temple was erected next to a shrine to help its *kami* with its karmic problems. At the time, *kami* were thought to be also subjected to [karma](/source/Karma), and therefore in need of a salvation only Buddhism could provide. Having first appeared during the [Nara period](/source/Nara_period) (710–794), the *jingū-ji* remained common for over a millennium until, with few exceptions, they were destroyed in compliance with the new policies of the Meiji administration in 1868.

### *Shinbutsu bunri*

Main article: [Shinbutsu bunri](/source/Shinbutsu_bunri)

The Shinto shrine went through a massive change when the Meiji administration promulgated a new policy of separation of *kami* and foreign [Buddhas](/source/Hotoke) (*[shinbutsu bunri](/source/Shinbutsu_bunri)*) with the *Kami and Buddhas Separation Order* (神仏判然令, *Shinbutsu Hanzenrei*). This event triggered the *[haibutsu kishaku](/source/Haibutsu_kishaku)*, a violent anti-Buddhist movement which in the final years of the [Tokugawa shogunate](/source/Tokugawa_shogunate) and during the [Meiji Restoration](/source/Meiji_Restoration) caused the forcible closure of thousands of Buddhist temples, the confiscation of their land, the forced return to lay life of monks, and the destruction of books, statues and other Buddhist property.[35]

Until the end of [Edo period](/source/Edo_period), local *kami* beliefs and Buddhism were intimately connected in what was called *[shinbutsu shūgō](/source/Shinbutsu_sh%C5%ABg%C5%8D)* (神仏習合), up to the point where even the same buildings were used as both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.

After the law, the two would be forcibly separated. This was done in several stages. At first, an order issued by the *Jingijimuka* in April 1868 ordered the defrocking of *shasō* and *[bettō](/source/Bett%C5%8D)* (shrine monks performing Buddhist rites at Shinto shrines).[36] A few days later, the *Daijōkan* banned the application of Buddhist terminology such as *[gongen](/source/Gongen)* to Japanese *[kami](/source/Kami)* and the veneration of Buddhist statues in shrines.[37]

The third stage consisted of the prohibition against applying the Buddhist term *Daibosatsu* (Great [Bodhisattva](/source/Bodhisattva)) to the syncretic *kami* [Hachiman](/source/Hachiman) at the [Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū](/source/Iwashimizu_Hachiman-g%C5%AB) and [Usa Hachiman-gū](/source/Usa_Shrine) shrines.[37] In the fourth and final stage, all the defrocked *bettō* and *shasō* were told to become "shrine priests" (*[kannushi](/source/Kannushi)*) and return to their shrines.[37] Monks of the [Nichiren](/source/Nichiren) sect were told not to refer to some deities as *kami*.[37]

After a short period in which it enjoyed popular favor, the process of separation of Buddhas and *kami* however stalled and is still only partially completed. To this day, almost all Buddhist temples in Japan have a small shrine (*[chinjusha](/source/Chinjusha)*) dedicated to its Shinto tutelary *kami*, and vice versa Buddhist figures (e.g. goddess [Kannon](/source/Sarasvati)) are revered in Shinto shrines.[38]

## *Shintai*

Main article: [Shintai](/source/Shintai)

Mount Fuji is Japan's most famous *shintai*.

The defining features of a shrine are the *kami* it enshrines and the *shintai* (or *go-shintai* if the honorific prefix *go-* is used) that houses it. While the name literally means 'body of a *kami*', *shintai* are physical objects worshiped at or near Shinto shrines because a *kami* is believed to reside in them.[39] *Shintai* are not themselves part of *kami*, but rather just symbolic repositories which make them accessible to human beings for worship;[40] the *kami* inhabits them.[41] *Shintai* are also of necessity *[yorishiro](/source/Yorishiro)*, that is objects by their very nature capable of attracting *kami*.

The most common *shintai* are objects like mirrors, swords, jewels (for example comma-shaped stones called *[magatama](/source/Magatama)*), *[gohei](/source/Gohei)* (wands used during religious rites), and sculptures of *kami* called *shinzō* (神像),[note 7] but they can be also natural objects such as rocks, mountains, trees, and waterfalls.[39] Mountains were among the first, and are still among the most important, *shintai*, and are worshiped at several famous shrines. A mountain believed to house a *kami*, as for example [Mount Fuji](/source/Mount_Fuji) or [Mount Miwa](/source/Mount_Miwa), is called a *shintai-zan* (神体山).[42] In the case of a man-made *shintai*, a *kami* must be invited to reside in it.[41]

The founding of a new shrine requires the presence of either a pre-existing, naturally occurring *shintai* (for example a rock or waterfall housing a local *kami*), or of an artificial one, which must therefore be procured or made to the purpose. An example of the first case are the [Nachi Falls](/source/Nachi_Falls), worshiped at Hiryū Shrine near [Kumano Nachi Taisha](/source/Kumano_Nachi_Taisha) and believed to be inhabited by a *kami* called Hiryū [Gongen](/source/Gongen).[43]

The first duty of a shrine is to house and protect its *shintai* and the *kami* which inhabits it.[41] If a shrine has more than one building, the one containing the *shintai* is called the *[honden](/source/Honden)*; because it is meant for the exclusive use of the *kami*, it is always closed to the public and is not used for prayer or religious ceremonies. The *shintai* leaves the *honden* only during festivals (*[matsuri](/source/Matsuri)*), when it is put in portable shrines (*mikoshi*) and carried around the streets among the faithful.[41] The portable shrine is used to physically protect the *shintai* and to hide it from sight.[41]

### Re-enshrinement

Main article: [Kanjō](/source/Kanj%C5%8D)

Often, the opening of a new shrine will require the ritual division of a *kami* and the transferring of one of the two resulting spirits to the new location, where it will animate the *shintai*. This process is called *[kanjō](/source/Kanj%C5%8D)*, and the divided spirits *bunrei* (分霊; lit. 'divided spirit'), *go-bunrei* (御分霊), or *wakemitama* (分霊).[44] This process of propagation, described by the priests, in spite of this name, not as a division but as akin to the lighting of a candle from another already lit, leaves the original *kami* intact in its original place and therefore does not alter any of its properties.[44] The resulting spirit has all the qualities of the original and is therefore "alive" and permanent.[44] The process is used often—for example during Shinto festivals (*[matsuri](/source/Matsuri)*) to animate temporary shrines called *[mikoshi](/source/Mikoshi)*.[45]

The transfer does not necessarily take place from a shrine to another: the divided spirit's new location can be a privately owned object or an individual's house.[46] The *kanjō* process was of fundamental importance in the creation of all of Japan's shrine networks ([Inari shrines](/source/Inari_Shrine), [Hachiman shrines](/source/Hachiman_Shrine), etc.).

## *Shake* families

Main article: [Shake (social class)](/source/Shake_(social_class))

The *[shake](/source/Shake_(social_class))* (社家) are families and the former social class that dominated Shinto shrines through hereditary positions within a shrine. The social class was abolished in 1871, but many *shake* families still continue hereditary succession until present day and some were appointed hereditary [nobility](/source/Nobility) (*[Kazoku](/source/Kazoku)*) after the [Meiji Restoration](/source/Meiji_Restoration).[47]

Some of the most well-known *shake* families include:

- Arakida and Watarai of [Ise Grand Shrine](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine)[48]

- Senge and Kitajima of [Izumo Taisha](/source/Izumo-taisha)[48]

- Ōnakatomi of [Kasuga Taisha](/source/Kasuga-taisha)[48]

- Urabe of [Yoshida Shrine](/source/Yoshida_Shrine)[48]

## Famous shrines and shrine networks

Those worshiped at a shrine are generally Shinto *kami*, but sometimes they can be Buddhist or [Taoist](/source/Tao) deities, as well as others not generally considered to belong to Shinto.[note 8] Some shrines were established to worship living people or figures from [myths](/source/Mythology) and [legends](/source/Legend). An example is the [Tōshō-gū](/source/T%C5%8Dsh%C5%8D-g%C5%AB) shrines erected to enshrine [Tokugawa Ieyasu](/source/Tokugawa_Ieyasu), or the many shrines dedicated to [Sugawara no Michizane](/source/Sugawara_no_Michizane), like [Kitano Tenman-gū](/source/Kitano_Tenman-g%C5%AB).

[Izumo-taisha](/source/Izumo-taisha)

Often, the shrines which were most significant historically do not lie in a former center of power like [Kyoto](/source/Kyoto), [Nara](/source/Nara%2C_Nara), or [Kamakura](/source/Kamakura%2C_Kanagawa). For example, [Ise Grand Shrine](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine), the [Imperial household](/source/Imperial_House_of_Japan)'s family shrine, is in [Mie prefecture](/source/Mie_prefecture). [Izumo-taisha](/source/Izumo-taisha), one of the oldest and most revered shrines in Japan, is in [Shimane Prefecture](/source/Shimane_Prefecture).[50] This is because their location is that of a traditionally important *kami*, and not that of temporal institutions.

Some shrines exist only in one locality, while others are at the head of a network of branch shrines (分社, *bunsha*).[51] The spreading of a *kami* can be evoked by one or more of several different mechanisms. The typical one is an operation called *[kanjō](/source/Kanj%C5%8D)*, a propagation process through which a *kami* is invited to a new location and there re-enshrined. The new shrine is administered completely independent from the one it originated from.

However, other transfer mechanisms exist. In Ise Grand Shrine's case, for example, its network of Shinmei shrines (from Shinmei (神明), another name for Amaterasu) grew due to two concurrent causes. During the late [Heian period](/source/Heian_period) the cult of [Amaterasu](/source/Amaterasu), worshiped initially only at Ise Grand Shrine, started to spread to the shrine's possessions through the usual *kanjō* mechanism.[51]

Later, branch shrines started to appear further away. The first evidence of a Shinmei shrine far from Ise is given by the *[Azuma Kagami](/source/Azuma_Kagami)*, a [Kamakura-period](/source/Kamakura_period) text which refers to Amanawa Shinmei-gū's appearance in [Kamakura, Kanagawa](/source/Kamakura%2C_Kanagawa). Amaterasu began to be worshiped in other parts of the country because of the so-called *tobi shinmei* (飛び神明, flying Shinmei) phenomenon, the belief that she would fly to other locations and settle there.[51] Similar mechanisms have been responsible for the spreading around the country of other *kami*.

### Notable shrines

Main article: [Beppyo shrines](/source/Beppyo_shrines)

[Ise Grand Shrine](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine) has been the most important shrine in Japan.

The [Ise Grand Shrine](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine) in [Mie prefecture](/source/Mie_prefecture) is, with Izumo-taisha, the most representative and historically significant shrine in Japan.[52] The *kami* the two enshrine play fundamental roles in the [Kojiki](/source/Kojiki) and [Nihon Shoki](/source/Nihon_Shoki), two texts of great importance to Shinto.[52] Because its *kami*, [Amaterasu](/source/Amaterasu), is an ancestor of the [Emperor](/source/Emperor_of_Japan), Ise Grand Shrine is the Imperial Household's family shrine. Ise Grand Shrine is dedicated specifically to the emperor. In the past, even his mother, wife and grandmother needed his permission to worship there.[53] Its traditional and mythological foundation date goes back to 4 BCE, but historians believe it was founded around the 3rd to 5th century CE.

[Izumo Taisha](/source/Izumo_Taisha) in [Shimane Prefecture](/source/Shimane_Prefecture) is so old that no document about its origin survives, and the year of foundation is unknown. The shrine is the center of a series of [sagas](/source/Saga) and myths.[52] The *kami* it enshrines, [Ōkuninushi](/source/%C5%8Ckuninushi), created Japan before it was populated by Amaterasu's offspring, the Emperor's ancestors.[52] Because of its physical remoteness, in historical times Izumo has been eclipsed in fame by other sites, but there is still a widespread belief that in October all Japanese gods meet there.[52] For this reason, October is also known as the "Month Without Gods" (神無月, *[Kannazuki](/source/Kannazuki)*; one of its names in the old lunar calendar), while at Izumo Taisha alone it is referred to as the Month With Gods (神在月・神有月, *Kamiarizuki*).[54]

*Senbon torii* leading to the [Fushimi Inari-taisha](/source/Fushimi_Inari-taisha)

[Fushimi Inari Taisha](/source/Fushimi_Inari_Taisha) is the head shrine of the largest shrine network in Japan, which has more than 32,000 members, about a third of the total. [Inari Okami](/source/Inari_Okami) worship started here in the 8th century and has continued ever since, expanding to the rest of the country. Located in [Fushimi-ku, Kyoto](/source/Fushimi-ku%2C_Kyoto), the shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines. Another very large example is the [Yūtoku Inari Shrine](/source/Y%C5%ABtoku_Inari_Shrine) in [Kashima City](/source/Kashima%2C_Saga), [Saga Prefecture](/source/Saga_Prefecture).

[Ōita Prefecture](/source/%C5%8Cita_Prefecture)'s [Usa Shrine](/source/Usa_Shrine), called in Japanese Usa Jingū or Usa Hachiman-gū, is together with Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, the head of the Hachiman shrine network.[55] Hachiman worship started here at least as far back as the [Nara period](/source/Nara_period) (710–794). In 860, the *kami* was divided and brought to [Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū](/source/Iwashimizu_Hachiman-g%C5%AB) in Kyoto, which became the focus of Hachiman worship in the capital.[56] Located on top of Mount Otokoyama, Usa Hachiman-gū is dedicated to [Emperor Ōjin](/source/Emperor_%C5%8Cjin), his mother [Empress Jingū](/source/Empress_Jing%C5%AB), and female *kami* Hime no Okami.[57]

[Itsukushima Shrine](/source/Itsukushima_Shrine) is, together with [Munakata Taisha](/source/Munakata_Taisha), at the head of the Munakata shrine network. Remembered for its *[torii](/source/Torii)* raising from the waters, it is a [UNESCO World Heritage Site](/source/UNESCO_World_Heritage_Site). The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of [Susano-o no Mikoto](/source/Susanoo), *kami* of seas and storms and brother of the great sun *[kami](/source/Kami)*.

[Kasuga Taisha](/source/Kasuga_Taisha) is a Shinto shrine in the city of [Nara](/source/Nara%2C_Nara), in [Nara Prefecture](/source/Nara_Prefecture), Japan. Established in 768 AD and rebuilt several times over the centuries, it is the shrine of the [Fujiwara family](/source/Fujiwara_family). The interior is noted for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the many stone lanterns that lead up the shrine. The architectural style *[Kasuga-zukuri](/source/Kasuga-zukuri)* takes its name from Kasuga Taisha's *honden*.

The [Yasukuni Shrine](/source/Yasukuni_Shrine) in Chiyoda, Tokyo

The [Kumano Sanzan](/source/Kumano_Sanzan) shrine complex, head of the Kumano shrine network, includes [Kumano Hayatama Taisha](/source/Kumano_Hayatama_Taisha) ([Wakayama Prefecture](/source/Wakayama_Prefecture), [Shingu](/source/Shing%C5%AB%2C_Wakayama)), [Kumano Hongu Taisha](/source/Kumano_Hongu_Taisha) ([Wakayama Prefecture](/source/Wakayama_Prefecture), [Tanabe](/source/Tanabe%2C_Wakayama)), and [Kumano Nachi Taisha](/source/Kumano_Nachi_Taisha) ([Wakayama Prefecture](/source/Wakayama_Prefecture), [Nachikatsuura](/source/Nachikatsuura%2C_Wakayama)).[58] The shrines lie between 20 and 40 kilometres (12 and 25 mi) one from the other.[58] They are connected by the pilgrimage route known as Kumano Sankeimichi (熊野参詣道). The great Kumano Sanzan complex also includes two Buddhist temples, [Seiganto-ji](/source/Seiganto-ji) and [Fudarakusan-ji](/source/Fudarakusan-ji).[note 9][58]

The religious significance of the Kumano region goes back to prehistoric times and predates all modern religions in Japan.[58] The area was, and still is, considered a place of physical healing.

[Yasukuni shrine](/source/Yasukuni_shrine), in Tokyo, is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the [Emperor of Japan](/source/Emperor_of_Japan).

[San Marino Shrine](/source/San_Marino_Shrine) in [Serravalle](/source/Serravalle_(San_Marino)), [San Marino](/source/San_Marino), is the first official Shinto shrine in Europe supported by the *[Jinja Honcho](/source/Jinja_Honcho)*.

### Shrine networks

There are an estimated 80,000 shrines in Japan.[59] The majority of Shinto shrines are associated with a shrine network.[8] This number includes only shrines with resident priests. If smaller shrines, such as roadside or household shrines are included, the number would be twice the amount. These are highly concentrated.[60] Over one-third, 30,000, are associated with [Inari](/source/Inari_%C5%8Ckami). The top six networks comprise over 90% of all shrines. There are at least 20 networks with over 200 shrines.

The twenty largest shrine networks in Japan[51][60] Branch shrines Head shrine Inari shrines 32,000 Fushimi Inari Taisha (Kyoto) Hachiman shrines 25,000 Usa Hachiman-gū (Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu), Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū (Kyoto) Shinmei shrines 18,000 Ise Jingū (Mie prefecture) Tenjin shrines 10,500 Kitano Tenman-gū (Kyoto), Dazaifu Tenman-gū (Fukuoka prefecture, Kyushu) Munakata shrines 8,500 Munakata Taisha (Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu), Itsukushima Shrine (Hiroshima) Suwa shrines 5,000 Suwa Taisha (Nagano prefecture) Hiyoshi shrines 4,000 Hiyoshi Taisha (Shiga prefecture) Kumano shrines 3,000 Kumano Nachi Taisha (Wakayama prefecture) Gion shrines[note 10] Tsushima shrines 3,000 Tsushima Shrine (Aichi prefecture) Yasaka shrines 3,000 Yasaka Shrine (Kyoto) Shirayamahime shrines 2717 Shirayamahime jinja Atsuta Shrines 2000 Atsuta jingū Matsunoo Shrines 1114 Matsunoo taisha Kashima Shrines 918 Kashima jinja Akiha Shrines 800 Akihasan Hongū Akiha Shrine Kotohira Shrines 683 Kotohira-gū Katori Shrines 477 Katori jingū Hikawa Shrines 287 Hikawa jinja Kibune Shrines 260 Kibune jinja Taga shrines 229 Taga taisha

The next ten largest networks contain between 2,000 branches down to about 200 branches, and include the networks headed by [Matsunoo-taisha](/source/Matsunoo-taisha), [Kibune Shrine](/source/Kibune_Shrine), and [Taga-taisha](/source/Taga-taisha), among others.

#### Inari shrines

Main article: [Inari Shrine](/source/Inari_Shrine)

The number of branch shrines gives an approximate indication of their religious significance, and neither [Ise Grand Shrine](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine) nor [Izumo-taisha](/source/Izumo-taisha) can claim the first place.[50] By far the most numerous are shrines dedicated to [Inari](/source/Inari_Okami), tutelary *kami* of agriculture popular all over Japan, which alone constitute almost a third of the total.[51] Inari protects fishing, commerce, and productivity in general. Many modern Japanese corporations have shrines dedicated to Inari on their premises. Inari shrines are usually very small and easy to maintain, but can be very large, as in the case of [Fushimi Inari Taisha](/source/Fushimi_Inari_Taisha), the head shrine of the network. The *kami* is enshrined in some Buddhist temples.[50]

The entrance to an Inari shrine is usually marked by one or more [vermilion](/source/Vermilion) *[torii](/source/Torii)* and two [white foxes](/source/Kitsune). This red color has come to be identified with Inari because of the prevalence of its use among Inari shrines and their *torii*.[61] The *kitsune* statues are at times mistakenly believed to be a form assumed by Inari, and they typically come in pairs, representing a male and a female, although sex is usually not obvious.[62] These fox statues hold a symbolic item in their mouths or beneath a front paw—most often a jewel and a key, but a sheaf of rice, a scroll, or a fox cub are common. Almost all Inari shrines, no matter how small, will feature at least a pair of these statues, usually flanking, on the altar, or in front of the main sanctuary.[62]

#### Hachiman shrines

Main article: [Hachiman Shrine](/source/Hachiman_Shrine)

Hachiman in Buddhist robes due to *[shinbutsu-shūgō](/source/Shinbutsu-sh%C5%ABg%C5%8D)*

A syncretic entity worshiped as both a *kami* and a Buddhist *[daibosatsu](/source/Bodhisattva)*, [Hachiman](/source/Hachiman) is intimately associated with both learning and warriors.[51] In the sixth or seventh century, [Emperor Ōjin](/source/Emperor_%C5%8Cjin) and his mother Empress Jingū came to be identified together with Hachiman.[63] First enshrined at [Usa Hachiman-gū](/source/Usa_Hachiman-g%C5%AB) in [Ōita Prefecture](/source/%C5%8Cita_Prefecture), Hachiman was deeply revered during the Heian period. According to the [Kojiki](/source/Kojiki), it was Ōjin who invited Korean and Chinese scholars to Japan, and for this reason he is the patron of writing and learning.

Because as Emperor Ōjin he was an ancestor of the Minamoto clan, Hachiman became the tutelary *kami* (氏神, *ujigami*) of the [Minamoto](/source/Minamoto) samurai clan[51] of Kawachi ([Osaka](/source/Osaka)). After [Minamoto no Yoritomo](/source/Minamoto_no_Yoritomo) became *[shōgun](/source/Sh%C5%8Dgun)* and established the [Kamakura shogunate](/source/Kamakura_shogunate), Hachiman's popularity grew, and he became by extension the protector of the warrior class the *shōgun* had brought to power. For this reason, the *shintai* of a Hachiman shrine is usually a [stirrup](/source/Stirrup) or a bow.[63]

During the [Japanese medieval period](/source/Medieval_Japan), Hachiman worship spread throughout Japan among samurai and the peasantry. There are 25,000 shrines in Japan dedicated to him, the second most numerous after those of the Inari network.[51] Usa Hachiman-gū is the network's head shrine together with [Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū](/source/Iwashimizu_Hachiman-g%C5%AB). However, [Hakozaki Shrine](/source/Hakozaki_Shrine) and [Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū](/source/Tsurugaoka_Hachiman-g%C5%AB) are historically no less significant shrines and are more popular.

#### Shinmei shrines

Main article: [Shinmei shrines](/source/Shinmei_shrines)

While the [ritsuryō](/source/Ritsury%C5%8D) legal system was in use, visits by commoners to Ise were forbidden.[51] With its weakening during the [Heian period](/source/Heian_period), commoners started being allowed in the shrine. The growth of the Shinmei shrine network was due to two concomitant causes. During the late [Heian period](/source/Heian_period), goddess Amaterasu, worshiped initially only at Ise Grand Shrine, started to be re-enshrined in branch shrines in Ise's own possessions through the typical *kanjō* mechanism. The first evidence of a Shinmei shrine elsewhere is given by the [Azuma Kagami](/source/Azuma_Kagami), a [Kamakura period](/source/Kamakura_period) text which refers to [Amanawa Shinmei-gū](/source/Amanawa_Shinmei_Shrine)'s appearance in Kamakura.[51] Amaterasu spread to other parts of the country because of the so-called *tobi shinmei* (飛び神明; lit. 'flying Shinmei') phenomenon, the belief that Amaterasu flew to other locations and settled there.[51]

#### Tenjin shrines

Main article: [Tenman-gū](/source/Tenman-g%C5%AB)

The [Tenjin](/source/Tenjin_(kami)) shrine network enshrines 9th-century scholar [Sugawara no Michizane](/source/Sugawara_no_Michizane). Sugawara had originally been enshrined to placate his spirit, not to be worshiped.[64] Michizane had been unjustly exiled in his life, and it was necessary to somehow placate his rage, believed to be the cause of a plague and other disasters. [Kitano Tenman-gū](/source/Kitano_Tenman-g%C5%AB) was the first of the shrines dedicated to him. Because in life he was a scholar, he became the *kami* of learning, and during the [Edo period](/source/Edo_period) schools often opened a branch shrine for him.[51] Another important shrine dedicated to him is [Dazaifu Tenman-gū](/source/Dazaifu_Tenman-g%C5%AB).

#### Munakata shrines

Headed by Kyūshū's [Munakata Taisha](/source/Munakata_Taisha) and [Itsukushima Shrine](/source/Itsukushima_Shrine), shrines in this network enshrine the Three Female Kami of Munakata (宗像三女神, *Munakata Sanjoshin*), namely Chikishima Hime-no-Kami, Tagitsu Hime-no-Kami, and Tagori Hime-no-Kami.[65] The same three *kami* are enshrined elsewhere in the network, sometimes under a different name. However, while Munakata Taisha enshrines all three in separate islands belonging to its complex, branch shrines generally do not. Which *kami* they enshrine depends on the history of the shrine and the myths tied to it.[65]

#### Suwa Shrines

Suwa Shrines are branch shrines of [Suwa Taisha](/source/Suwa_Taisha).

#### Hiyoshi shrines

Hiyoshi shrines are branch shrines of [Hiyoshi Taisha](/source/Hiyoshi_Taisha). They have origins in [Sannō Ichijitsu Shintō](/source/Sann%C5%8D_Ichijitsu_Shint%C5%8D) and worship [Oyamakui no Kami](/source/Oyamakui_no_Kami).

#### Kumano shrines

Main article: [Kumano Shrine](/source/Kumano_Shrine)

Kumano shrines enshrine the three Kumano mountains: Hongū, Shingū, and Nachi (the Kumano [Gongen](/source/Gongen) (熊野権現)).[66] The point of origin of the Kumano cult is the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex, which includes [Kumano Hayatama Taisha](/source/Kumano_Hayatama_Taisha) (熊野速玉大社) ([Wakayama Prefecture](/source/Wakayama_Prefecture), [Shingu](/source/Shing%C5%AB%2C_Wakayama)), [Kumano Hongu Taisha](/source/Kumano_Hongu_Taisha) ([Wakayama Prefecture](/source/Wakayama_Prefecture), [Tanabe](/source/Tanabe%2C_Wakayama)), and [Kumano Nachi Taisha](/source/Kumano_Nachi_Taisha) ([Wakayama Prefecture](/source/Wakayama_Prefecture), [Nachikatsuura](/source/Nachikatsuura%2C_Wakayama)).[58] There are more than 3,000 Kumano shrines in Japan.

#### Gion Shrines

Main article: [Gion cult](/source/Gion_cult)

Gion shrines are branch shrines of [Tsushima Shrine](/source/Tsushima_Shrine), [Yasaka Shrine](/source/Yasaka_Shrine) or [Hiromine Shrine](/source/Hiromine_Shrine). Historically associated with [Gozu Tenno](/source/Gozu_Tenno), they became dedicated to [Susanoo](/source/Susanoo-no-Mikoto) during [the separation of Shinto and Buddhism](/source/Shinbutsu_bunri).

## Structure

The composition of a Shinto shrine

The following is a list and diagram illustrating the most important parts of a Shinto shrine:

1. *[Torii](/source/Torii)* – Shinto gate

1. Stone stairs

1. *[Sandō](/source/Sand%C5%8D)* – the approach to the shrine

1. *[Chōzuya](/source/Ch%C5%8Dzuya)* or *temizuya* – place of purification to cleanse one's hands and mouth

1. *[Tōrō](/source/T%C5%8Dr%C5%8D)* – decorative stone lanterns

1. *[Kagura-den](/source/Kagura-den)* – building dedicated to *[Noh](/source/Noh)* or the sacred *[kagura](/source/Kagura)* dance

1. *Shamusho* – the shrine's administrative office

1. *[Ema](/source/Ema_(Shint%C5%8D))* – wooden plaques bearing prayers or wishes

1. *[Sessha](/source/Setsumatsusha)* and *massha* – small auxiliary shrines

1. *[Komainu](/source/Komainu)* – the so-called "lion dogs", guardians of the shrine

1. *[Haiden](/source/Haiden_(Shinto))* – oratory or hall of worship

1. *[Tamagaki](/source/Tamagaki)* – fence surrounding the *honden*

1. *[Honden](/source/Honden)* – main hall, enshrining the *[kami](/source/Kami)*

1. On the roof of the *haiden* and *honden* are visible *[chigi](/source/Chigi_(architecture))* (forked roof [finials](/source/Finials)) and *[katsuogi](/source/Katsuogi)* (short horizontal logs), both common shrine ornamentations.

The general blueprint of a Shinto shrine is Buddhist in origin.[18] The presence of verandas, stone lanterns, and elaborate gates is an example of this influence. The composition of a Shinto shrine is extremely variable, and none of its many possible features is necessarily present. Even the *honden* can be missing if the shrine worships a nearby natural *shintai*.

Since its grounds are sacred, they are usually surrounded by a fence made of stone or wood called *tamagaki*. Access is made possible by an approach called *sandō*. The entrances are straddled by gates called *torii*, which are usually the simplest way to identify a Shinto shrine.

[Mengjiang](/source/Mengjiang) shrine in [Zhangjiakou](/source/Zhangjiakou), [Hebei](/source/Hebei), China, 1952

A shrine may include within its grounds several structures, each built for a different purpose.[67] Among them are the *honden* or sanctuaries, where the *kami* are enshrined, the *[heiden](/source/Heiden_(Shinto))* or hall of offerings, where offers and prayers are presented, and the *haiden* or hall of worship, where there may be seats for worshippers.[67] The *honden* is the building that contains the *shintai*, literally, 'the sacred body of the *kami*'.[note 11]

Of these, only the *haiden* is open to the [laity](/source/Laity). The *honden* is usually located behind the *haiden* and is often much smaller and unadorned. Other notable shrine features are the *temizuya*, the fountain where visitors cleanse their hands and mouth, and the *shamusho* (社務所), the office which oversees the shrine.[67] Buildings are often adorned by *chigi* and *katsuogi*, variously oriented poles which protrude from their roof.

Before the [Meiji Restoration](/source/Meiji_Restoration) it was common for a Buddhist temple to be built inside or next to a shrine, or vice versa.[69] If a shrine housed a Buddhist temple, it was called a *jingūji* (神宮寺). Analogously, temples all over Japan adopted tutelary *kami* (鎮守・鎮主, *chinju*) and built temple shrines (寺社, *jisha*) to house them.[70] After the forcible separation of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines ([shinbutsu bunri](/source/Shinbutsu_bunri)) ordered by the new government in the [Meiji period](/source/Meiji_period), the connection between the two religions was officially severed, but continued nonetheless in practice and is still visible today.[69]

## Architectural styles

Main article: [Shinto architecture](/source/Shinto_architecture)

Shrine buildings can have many different basic layouts, usually named either after a famous shrine's *honden* (e.g. *hiyoshi-zukuri*, named after [Hiyoshi Taisha](/source/Hiyoshi_Taisha)), or a structural characteristic (e.g., *irimoya-zukuri*, after the [hip](/source/Hip_roof)-and [gable](/source/Gable) roof it adopts. The suffix *-zukuri* in this case means 'structure'.)

The *honden*'s roof is always gabled, and some styles have a veranda-like aisle called *[hisashi](/source/Hisashi_(architecture))* (a 1-*[ken](/source/Ken_(architecture))* 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:

- *[hirairi](/source/Hirairi)* or *hirairi-zukuri* (平入・平入造) – 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 *shinmei-zukuri*, *nagare-zukuri*, *hachiman-zukuri*, and *hie-zukuri* belong to this type.[71]

- *[tsumairi](/source/Tsumairi)* or *tsumairi-zukuri* (妻入・妻入造) – 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 *taisha-zukuri*, *sumiyoshi-zukuri*, *ōtori-zukuri* and *kasuga-zukuri* belong to this type.[71]

Proportions are important. A building of a given style often must have certain proportions measured in *ken* (the distance between pillars, a quantity variable from one shrine to another or even within the same shrine).

The oldest styles are the *tsumairi* *shinmei-zukuri*, *taisha-zukuri*, and *sumiyoshi-zukuri*, believed to predate the arrival of Buddhism.[71]

The two most common are the *hirairi* *nagare-zukuri* and the *tsumairi* *kasuga-zukuri*.[72] Larger, more important shrines tend to have unique styles.

### Most common styles

The following are the two most common shrine styles in Japan.

#### *Nagare-zukuri*

[Ujigami Shrine](/source/Ujigami_Shrine) in Uji, [Kyoto Prefecture](/source/Kyoto_Prefecture)

The flowing style (流造, *[nagare-zukuri](/source/Nagare-zukuri)*) or flowing gabled style (流破風造, *nagare hafu-zukuri*) is a style characterized by a very asymmetrical [gabled](/source/Gable) roof or *kirizuma-yane* (切妻屋根), projecting outwards on the non-gabled side, above the main entrance, to form a portico.[72]

This is the feature which gives the style its name, the most common among shrines all over Japan. Sometimes the basic layout consisting of an elevated core (母屋, *[moya](/source/Moya_(architecture))*) partially surrounded by a veranda called *hisashi* (all under the same roof) is modified by the addition of a room in front of the entrance.[72]

The *honden* varies in roof ridge length from 1 to 11 *ken*, but is never 6 or 8 *ken*.[73] The most common sizes are 1 and 3 *ken*. The oldest shrine in Japan, [Uji](/source/Uji%2C_Kyoto)'s [Ujigami Shrine](/source/Ujigami_Shrine), has a *honden* of this type. Its external dimensions are 5×3 *ken*, but internally it is composed of three sanctuaries (内殿, *naiden*) measuring 1 *ken* each.[73]

#### *Kasuga-zukuri*

The *honden* at [Uda Mikumari Shrine](/source/Uda_Mikumari_Shrine) Kami-gū is made of three joined *Kasuga-zukuri* buildings.

*[Kasuga-zukuri](/source/Kasuga-zukuri)* (春日造) as a style takes its name from [Kasuga Taisha](/source/Kasuga_Taisha)'s *honden*. It is characterized by the extreme smallness of the building, just 1×1 *ken* in size. In Kasuga Taisha's case, this translates in 1.9 by 2.6 metres (6.2 ft × 8.5 ft).[74] The roof is gabled with a single entrance at the gabled end, decorated with *[chigi](/source/Chigi_(architecture))* and *[katsuogi](/source/Katsuogi)*, covered with cypress bark and curved upwards at the eaves. Supporting structures are painted vermillion, while the plank walls are white.[74]

After the *Nagare-zukuri*, this is the most common style, with most instances in the [Kansai region](/source/Kansai_region) around Nara.[72]

### Styles predating the arrival of Buddhism

The following four styles predate the arrival in Japan of Buddhism.

#### Primitive shrine layout with no *honden*

Unique in that the *honden* is missing, it is believed shrines of this type are reminiscent of what shrines were like in prehistorical times. The first shrines had no *honden* because the *shintai*, or object of worship, was the mountain on which they stood. An extant example is [Nara](/source/Nara%2C_Nara)'s [Ōmiwa Shrine](/source/%C5%8Cmiwa_Shrine), which still has no *honden*.[72] An area near the *[haiden](/source/Haiden_(Shinto))* or hall of worship, sacred and [taboo](/source/Taboo), replaces it for worship. Another prominent example of this style is [Futarasan Shrine](/source/Futarasan_Shrine) near Nikkō, whose *shintai* is [Mount Nantai](/source/Mount_Nantai).

#### *Shinmei-zukuri*

A shrine at [Ise](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine)

*[Shinmei-zukuri](/source/Shinmei-zukuri)* (神明造) is an ancient style typical of, and most common at, [Ise Grand Shrine](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine), the holiest of Shinto shrines.[72] It is most common in Mie prefecture.[75] Characterized by an extreme simplicity, its basic features can be seen in Japanese architecture from the [Kofun period](/source/Kofun_period) (250–538 CE) onwards and it is considered the pinnacle of Japanese traditional architecture. Built in planed, unfinished wood, the *honden* is either 3×2 *ken* or 1×1 *ken* in size, has a raised floor, a gabled roof with an entry on one of the non-gabled sides, no upward curve at the eaves, and decorative logs called *[chigi](/source/Chigi_(architecture))* and *[katsuogi](/source/Katsuogi)* protruding from the roof's ridge.[75] The oldest extant example is [Nishina Shinmei Shrine](/source/Nishina_Shinmei_Shrine).[71]

#### *Sumiyoshi-zukuri*

*[Sumiyoshi-zukuri](/source/Sumiyoshi-zukuri)* (住吉造) takes its name from [Sumiyoshi Taisha](/source/Sumiyoshi_Taisha)'s *honden* in [Ōsaka](/source/%C5%8Csaka). The building is 4 *ken* wide and 2 *ken* deep and has an entrance under the gable.[71] Its interior is divided in two sections, one at the front (外陣, *gejin*) and one at the back (内陣, *naijin*) with a single entrance at the front.[76] Construction is simple, but the pillars are painted in vermilion and the walls in white.

The style is supposed to have its origin in old palace architecture.[76] Another example of this style is Sumiyoshi Jinja, part of the [Sumiyoshi Sanjin](/source/Sumiyoshi_Sanjin) complex in [Fukuoka Prefecture](/source/Fukuoka_Prefecture).[76] In both cases, as in many others, there is no veranda.

#### *Taisha-zukuri*

Kamosu Jinja's *honden*

*[Taisha-zukuri](/source/Taisha-zukuri)* or *Ōyashiro-zukuri* (大社造) is the oldest shrine style, takes its name from [Izumo Taisha](/source/Izumo_Taisha) and, like Ise Grand Shrine's, has *chigi* and *katsuogi*, plus archaic features like gable-end pillars and a single central pillar (*shin no mihashira*).[72] Because its floor is raised on stilts, it is believed to have its origin in raised-floor granaries similar to those found in [Toro](/source/Toro_(archaeological_site)), Shizuoka prefecture.[77]

The *honden* normally has a 2×2 *ken* footprint (12.46 by 12.46 metres (40.9 ft × 40.9 ft) in Izumo Taisha's case), with an entrance on the gabled end. The stairs to the honden are covered by a cypress bark roof. The oldest extant example of the style is Kamosu Jinja's *honden* in [Shimane Prefecture](/source/Shimane_Prefecture), built in the 16th century.

### Other styles

Many other architectural styles exist, most of them rare.

## Interpreting shrine names

A small shrine called Hakusan Gongen (白山権現), following the pre-Meiji custom

Shrine nomenclature has changed considerably since the Meiji period. Until then, the vast majority of shrines were small and had no permanent priest.[33] With very few exceptions, they were just a part of a temple-shrine complex controlled by Buddhist clergy.[33]

They usually enshrined a local tutelary *kami*, so they were called with the name of the *kami* followed by terms like *[gongen](/source/Gongen)*; *ubusuna* (産土), short for *ubusuna no kami*, or guardian deity of one's birthplace; or great kami (明神, *myōjin*). The term *jinja* (神社), now the most common, was rare.[33] Examples of this kind of pre-Meiji use are [Tokusō Daigongen](/source/H%C5%8Dkai-ji_(Kamakura)) and [Kanda Myōjin](/source/Kanda_Shrine).

Today, the term "Shinto shrine" in English is used in opposition to "[Buddhist temple](/source/Buddhist_temples_in_Japan)" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. This single English word translates several non-equivalent Japanese words, including *jinja* (神社) as in [Yasukuni Jinja](/source/Yasukuni_Jinja); *yashiro* (社) as in [Tsubaki Ōkami Yashiro](/source/Tsubaki_Grand_Shrine); *miya* (宮) as in [Watarai no Miya](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine#Shrines_and_facilities); *-gū* (宮) as in [Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū](/source/Iwashimizu_Hachiman-g%C5%AB); *jingū* (神宮) as in [Meiji Jingū](/source/Meiji_Shrine); *taisha* (大社) as in [Izumo Taisha](/source/Izumo_Taisha);[67] *mori* (杜); and *hokora* or *hokura* (神庫).

Shrine names are descriptive. A problem in dealing with them is understanding exactly what they mean. Although there is a lot of variation in their composition, it is usually possible to identify in them two parts. The first is the shrine's name proper, or *meishō* (名称), the second is the so-called *shōgō* (称号), or 'title'.[9]

### *Meishō*

The most common *meishō* is the location where the shrine stands, as for example in the case of [Ise Jingū](/source/Ise_Grand_Shrine), the most sacred of shrines, which is located in the city of [Ise, Mie](/source/Ise%2C_Mie) prefecture.[78]

Very often the *meishō* will be the name of the *kami* enshrined. An [Inari Shrine](/source/Inari_Shrine) for example is a shrine dedicated to *kami* [Inari](/source/Inari_%C5%8Ckami). Analogously, a [Kumano Shrine](/source/Kumano_Shrine) is a shrine that enshrines the three Kumano mountains. A [Hachiman Shrine](/source/Hachiman_Shrine) enshrines *kami* [Hachiman](/source/Hachiman). Tokyo's [Meiji Shrine](/source/Meiji_Shrine) enshrines the [Meiji Emperor](/source/Meiji_Emperor). The name can also have other origins, often unknown or unclear.

### *Shōgō*

The second part of the name defines the status of the shrine.

- *Jinja* ([神社](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%A5%9E%E7%A4%BE)) is the most general word for a Shinto shrine.[9] Any place that has a *[honden](/source/Honden)* (本殿) is a *jinja*.[2] The word *jinja* used to have two more readings, *kamu-tsu-yashiro* and *mori*, both of which are [kun'yomi](/source/Kun'yomi) readings and mean 'kami grove'.[10] Both of these older readings can be found, for example, in the [Man'yōshū](/source/Man'y%C5%8Dsh%C5%AB).[10]

- *Yashiro* (社) is a generic term for Shinto shrine, much like *jinja*.[2][10]

- *Mori* (杜; lit. 'grove') are places where *kami* are present.[2] These places can therefore be shrines and, in fact, 神社, 社 and 杜 can all be read as *mori*.[10] This reading reflects the fact that the first shrines were simply [sacred groves](/source/Sacred_grove) or forests where *kami* were present.[10]

- The suffix *-sha* or *-ja*, as in *Shinmei-sha* or *Tenjin-ja* indicates a minor shrine that has received a *kami* from a more important shrine through the *[kanjō](/source/Kanj%C5%8D)* process.

- *Hokora* or *hokura* (神庫) are extremely small shrines like the ones that can be found, for example, along country roads.[12]

- A *jingū* (神宮) is a shrine of particularly high status that has a deep relationship with the Imperial household or enshrines an Emperor. This is the case for, both, Ise Jingū and Meiji Jingū.[9] *Jingū* alone, however, only refers to Ise Jingū, whose official name is just that.[9]

- *Miya* (宮) indicates a shrine that is enshrining a special *kami* or a member of the Imperial household like the Empress. However, there are many examples, much like with *-gū*, in which it is used simply as a tradition.[2] During the period of state regulation, many shrines changed the *-miya* in their names to *jinja*.

- *-gū* (宮) indicates a shrine enshrining an imperial prince. However, there are many instances where it is used simply as a tradition.[9]

- A *taisha* or *ōyashiro* (大社; lit. 'great shrine') is a shrine that was classified as such under the old system of shrine ranking, the *[shakaku](/source/Modern_system_of_ranked_Shinto_Shrines)* (社格), which was abolished in 1946.[2][14] Many shrines carrying that *shōgō* or 'title' adopted it only after the war.[9]

- During the [Japanese Middle Ages](/source/History_of_Japan#Feudal_Japan_(1185-1603)), shrines started being called *[gongen](/source/Gongen)* (権現), a term of Buddhist origin.[17] For example, in Eastern Japan, there are still many Hakusan shrines where the shrine itself is called *gongen*.[17] Because it represents the application of Buddhist terminology to Shinto *kami*, its use was legally abolished by the Meiji government with the [Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order](/source/Shinbutsu_bunri) (神仏判然令, *Shin-butsu Hanzenrei*), and shrines began to be called *jinja*.[17]

These names are not equivalent in terms of prestige: a *taisha* is more prestigious than a *-gū*, which is more important than a *jinja*.

## Etiquette at shrines

Main article: [Hakushu (Shinto)](/source/Hakushu_(Shinto))

Worshiping manners, 2016, Nagoya, Japan. The etiquette of [Two bows, two claps, one bow](/source/Two_bows%2C_two_claps%2C_one_bow) [[ja](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BA%8C%E7%A4%BC%E4%BA%8C%E6%8B%8D%E6%89%8B%E4%B8%80%E7%A4%BC); [simple](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_bows,_two_claps,_one_bow)] is explained in both Japanese and English.

An example of prewar two-beat, one-beat worship. The upper row is the second worship, the middle row is the second clap, and the lower row is the first worship. This is the worship after offering the tamagushi, and the tamagushi can be seen on the table in front. Source: NDLJP:1054789/27.

At shrines there is a relatively standardized system of visit ettiquette that is called [Two bows, two claps, one bow](/source/Two_bows%2C_two_claps%2C_one_bow) [[ja](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BA%8C%E7%A4%BC%E4%BA%8C%E6%8B%8D%E6%89%8B%E4%B8%80%E7%A4%BC); [simple](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_bows,_two_claps,_one_bow)]. It goes roughly as follows:[79][80]

1. Bow once before entering the *[torii](/source/Torii)*.[79][80] Walking through the center of the *torii* is reserved for deities.[80]

1. Purify the hands and mouth with the *[chōzuya](/source/Ch%C5%8Dzuya)*.[79][80]

1. Put money in the offering box.[81][82]

1. Ring the bell 2 to 3 times if present.[83][82]

1. Bow twice.[79][80][82]

1. [Clap](/source/Hakushu_(Shinto)) twice.[79][80][82]

1. Bow once.[79][80] This bow is deeper than the others,[84] at a 90-degree angle.[82]

1. When exiting the shrine, turn around and bow once at the *torii*.[85]

There are rare exceptions to this system. For example, at [Usa Jingū](/source/Usa_Jing%C5%AB) and [Izumo-taisha](/source/Izumo-taisha), it is correct etiquette to clap *four* times in front of the offering box rather than the usual twice.[86][87]

## Shrines with structures designated as National Treasures

Main article: [List of National Treasures of Japan (shrines)](/source/List_of_National_Treasures_of_Japan_(shrines))

Shrines that are part of a [World Heritage Site](/source/World_Heritage_Site) are marked with a dagger (†).

- [Tōhoku region](/source/T%C5%8Dhoku_region) - [Ōsaki Hachiman Shrine](/source/%C5%8Csaki_Hachiman_Shrine) ([Sendai, Miyagi](/source/Sendai%2C_Miyagi))

- [Kantō region](/source/Kant%C5%8D_region) - [Nikkō Tōshō-gū](/source/Nikk%C5%8D_T%C5%8Dsh%C5%8D-g%C5%AB)† ([Nikkō, Tochigi](/source/Nikk%C5%8D%2C_Tochigi)) - [Rinnō-ji](/source/Rinn%C5%8D-ji)† ([Nikkō, Tochigi](/source/Nikk%C5%8D%2C_Tochigi))

- [Chūbu region](/source/Ch%C5%ABbu_region) - [Nishina Shinmei Shrine](/source/Nishina_Shinmei_Shrine) ([Ōmachi, Nagano](/source/%C5%8Cmachi%2C_Nagano))

- [Kansai region](/source/Kansai_region) - [Onjō-ji](/source/Mii-dera) ([Ōtsu, Shiga](/source/%C5%8Ctsu%2C_Shiga)) - [Hiyoshi Taisha](/source/Hiyoshi_Taisha) ([Ōtsu, Shiga](/source/%C5%8Ctsu%2C_Shiga)) - [Mikami Shrine](/source/Mikami_Shrine) ([Yasu, Shiga](/source/Yasu%2C_Shiga)) - [Ōsasahara Shrine](/source/%C5%8Csasahara_Shrine) ([Yasu, Shiga](/source/Yasu%2C_Shiga)) - [Tsukubusuma Shrine](/source/Tsukubusuma_Shrine) ([Nagahama, Shiga](/source/Nagahama%2C_Shiga)) - [Namura Shrine](/source/Namura_Shrine) ([Ryūō, Shiga](/source/Ry%C5%AB%C5%8D%2C_Shiga)) - [Kamo Shrine](/source/Kamo_Shrine)† ([Kyoto, Kyoto](/source/Kyoto%2C_Kyoto)) - [Daigo-ji](/source/Daigo-ji)† ([Kyoto, Kyoto](/source/Kyoto%2C_Kyoto)) - [Toyokuni Shrine](/source/Toyokuni_Shrine_(Kyoto)) ([Kyoto, Kyoto](/source/Kyoto%2C_Kyoto)) - [Kitano Tenman-gū](/source/Kitano_Tenman-g%C5%AB) ([Kyoto, Kyoto](/source/Kyoto%2C_Kyoto)) - [Ujigami Shrine](/source/Ujigami_Shrine)† ([Uji, Kyoto](/source/Uji%2C_Kyoto)) - [Sumiyoshi Taisha](/source/Sumiyoshi_Taisha) ([Osaka, Osaka](/source/Osaka%2C_Osaka)) - [Sakurai Shrine](/source/Sakurai_Shrine_(Sakai)) ([Sakai, Osaka](/source/Sakai%2C_Osaka)) - [Kasuga Shrine](/source/Kasuga_Shrine)† ([Nara, Nara](/source/Nara%2C_Nara)) - [Enjō-ji](/source/Enj%C5%8D-ji) ([Nara, Nara](/source/Nara%2C_Nara)) - [Isonokami Shrine](/source/Isonokami_Shrine) ([Tenri, Nara](/source/Tenri%2C_Nara)) - [Udamikumari Shrine](/source/Udamikumari_Shrine) ([Uda, Nara](/source/Uda%2C_Nara))

- [Chūgoku region](/source/Ch%C5%ABgoku_region) - [Sanbutsu-ji](/source/Sanbutsu-ji) ([Misasa, Tottori](/source/Misasa%2C_Tottori)) - [Izumo Taisha](/source/Izumo_Taisha) ([Taisha, Shimane](/source/Taisha%2C_Shimane)) - [Kamosu Shrine](/source/Kamosu_Shrine) ([Matsue, Shimane](/source/Matsue%2C_Shimane)) - [Kibitsu Shrine](/source/Kibitsu_Shrine_(Bitch%C5%AB)) ([Okayama, Okayama](/source/Okayama%2C_Okayama)) - [Itsukushima Shrine](/source/Itsukushima_Shrine)† ([Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima](/source/Hatsukaichi%2C_Hiroshima)) - [Sumiyoshi Shrine](/source/Sumiyoshi_Shrine_(Yamaguchi)) ([Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi](/source/Shimonoseki%2C_Yamaguchi))

- [Shikoku region](/source/Shikoku) - [Kandani Shrine](/source/Kandani_Shrine) ([Sakaide, Kagawa](/source/Sakaide%2C_Kagawa))

- [Kyūshū region](/source/Ky%C5%ABsh%C5%AB) - [Usa Shrine](/source/Usa_Shrine) ([Usa, Ōita](/source/Usa%2C_%C5%8Cita)) - [Aoi Aso Shrine](/source/Aoi_Aso_Shrine) ([Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto](/source/Hitoyoshi%2C_Kumamoto))

## Officiants

### *Kannushi*

Main article: [Kannushi](/source/Kannushi)

A *[kannushi](/source/Kannushi)*

A *[kannushi](/source/Kannushi)* (神主; lit. '*kami* master') or *shinshoku* (神職; lit. '*kami* employee') is a priest responsible for the maintenance of a shrine, as well as for leading worship of a given *kami*.[67] These two terms were not always [synonyms](/source/Synonyms). Originally, a *kannushi* was a holy man who could work miracles and who, thanks to [purification rites](/source/Harae), could work as an intermediary between *kami* and man, but the term later evolved such that it was synonymous with *shinshoku*, a term for a man who works at a shrine and holds religious ceremonies there.[2][88] [Women](/source/Women_in_Japan) can become *kannushi*, and it is common for widows to succeed their husbands.[89]

### *Miko*

Main article: [Miko](/source/Miko)

A *[miko](/source/Miko)* (巫女) is a shrine maiden who has trained for and taken up several duties at a shrine including assistance of shrine functions such as but not limited to: tidying the premises every day, performing the sacred [kagura](/source/Kagura) dances on certain occasions, and performing the sale of sacred goods, including amulets known as *[omamori](/source/Omamori)*, paper talismans known as *[ofuda](/source/Ofuda)*, and wood tablets known as *[ema](/source/Ema_(Shinto))*.

## Gallery

		- *Hirairi* style: entrance on the non-gabled side

		- *Tsumairi* style: entrance on the gabled side

		- Some *setsumassha*

		- A *hokora*

		- [Yasuzumi Jinja](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yasuzumi_Jinja&action=edit&redlink=1) [[ja](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AE%89%E4%BD%8F%E7%A5%9E%E7%A4%BE)] is famous not only for praying for safe childbirth, but also as a motorcycle shrine.

## See also

- [Dambana](/source/Dambana)

- [Giboshi](/source/Giboshi)

- [Glossary of Shinto](/source/Glossary_of_Shinto)

- [List of National Treasures of Japan (shrines)](/source/List_of_National_Treasures_of_Japan_(shrines))

- [List of Shinto shrines](/source/List_of_Shinto_shrines)

- [Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines](/source/Modern_system_of_ranked_Shinto_shrines)

- [Senjafuda](/source/Senjafuda)

- [Shrine Shinto](/source/Shrine_Shinto)

- [Twenty-Two Shrines](/source/Twenty-Two_Shrines) (*Nijūnisha*)

## Notes

### Footnotes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Also called the *shinden* (神殿).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Because the *sessha* and *massha* once had different meanings but are now [synonymous](/source/Synonyms), these shrines are sometimes called *[setsumatsusha](/source/Setsumatsusha)* (摂末社), a [neologism](/source/Neologism) that fuses the two old names.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** *[Yorishiro](/source/Yorishiro)* (依り代; lit. 'approach substitute') were tools conceived to attract the *kami* and give them a physical space to occupy, thus making them accessible to human beings.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Many other sacred objects (mirrors, swords, comma-shaped jewels called *[magatama](/source/Magatama)*) were originally *yorishiro*, and only later became *kami* by association

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Today, a *hokora* is an extremely small shrine, like those seen on the sides of many roads.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-38)** The *rōmon*, or 'tower gate', is a gate which looks like a two-story gate, but in fact is only one story.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-48)** *Kami* are, as a rule, not represented in [anthropomorphic](/source/Anthropomorphism) or physical terms, however numerous paintings and statues representing them have appeared under Buddhist influence.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-57)** The opposite can also happen. [Toyokawa Inari](/source/Toyokawa_Inari) is a [Buddhist temple](/source/Buddhist_temples_in_Japan) of the [Sōtō sect](/source/S%C5%8Dt%C5%8D) in [Toyokawa](/source/Toyokawa%2C_Aichi), [Aichi Prefecture](/source/Aichi_Prefecture) and, with its [Akasaka](/source/Akasaka%2C_Tokyo) branch, one of the centers of [Inari](/source/Inari_%C5%8Ckami)'s cult.[49]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-67)** The presence of Buddhist temples within a Shinto shrine complex is due to an integration of Buddhism and Shinto (*[Shinbutsu shūgō](/source/Shinbutsu_sh%C5%ABg%C5%8D)*) which used to be normal before the [Meiji restoration](/source/Meiji_restoration) and is still common. The *kami* which inhabits the Nachi Falls within the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex, the already mentioned Hiryū [Gongen](/source/Gongen), is itself [syncretic](/source/Syncretism).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-70)** Alongside [Hiromine shrine](/source/Hiromine_shrine) the three share a tradition of the [Gion cult](/source/Gion_cult). If grouped together they would be the 6th largest shrine network

1. **[^](#cite_ref-79)** In spite of its name, the *shintai*is actually a temporary repository of the enshrined *kami*.[68]

### Citations

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_1-0)** Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-IK_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-IK_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-IK_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-IK_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-IK_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-IK_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-IK_2-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-IK_2-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-IK_2-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-IK_2-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-IK_2-10) [***l***](#cite_ref-IK_2-11) [***m***](#cite_ref-IK_2-12) Iwanami [Kōjien](/source/K%C5%8Djien) (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary

1. **[^](#cite_ref-scheid2_4-0)** [Bernhard Scheid](/source/Bernhard_Scheid). ["Religiöse Bauwerke in Japan"](http://www.univie.ac.at/rel_jap/bauten/bauten.htm) (in German). University of Vienna. Retrieved 27 June 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Mori Mizue

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** "Engishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., *Historical Dictionary of Shinto*. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2011) p. 92.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** *Japanese Religion: A Survey by the Agency for Cultural Affairs*. Abe Yoshiya and David Reid, translators. (Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 1972) p. 239.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["The Yasukuni Shrine Problem in the East Asian Context: Religion and Politics in Modern Japan: Foundation"](http://www.politicsandreligionjournal.com/images/pdf_files/srpski/godina3_broj2/Analiza%201.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 1 January 2014.

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-97)** ["Usa Jingu - About Worship"](http://www.usajinguu.com/worship/) retrieved May 31 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-98)** ["Izumo-Taisha - Frequently Asked Questions"](https://izumooyashiro.or.jp/archives/faq/7898) retrieved May 31 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ya_99-0)** Moriyasu, Jin. ["Kannushi"](http://100.yahoo.co.jp/detail/%E7%A5%9E%E4%B8%BB/). *Nihon Hyakka Zensho* (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2009-10-16.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-EB_100-0)** ["Shinshoku"](http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540847/shinshoku). Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 2009-10-16.

## References

- [Breen, John](/source/John_Breen_(scholar)); [Mark Teeuwen](/source/Mark_Teeuwen), eds. (July 2000). *Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami*. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8248-2363-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8248-2363-4).

- [Brown, Delmer M.](/source/Delmer_Brown) (1993). *The Early Evolution of Historical Consciousness in "Cambridge History of Japan", Vol. 1*. Cambridge, New York & Victoria: Cambridge University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-521-22352-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-521-22352-2).

- Burkman, Thomas W. (June–September 1974). ["The Urakami Incidents and the Struggle for Religious Tolerance in Early Meiji Japan"](http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/jjrs/pdf/6.pdf) (PDF). *Japanese Journal of Religious Studies*. **1** (2–3): 143–216. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.18874/jjrs.1.2-3.1974.143-216](https://doi.org/10.18874%2Fjjrs.1.2-3.1974.143-216). Retrieved 2008-07-17.[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

- Fujita Masaya; Koga Shūsaku, eds. (April 10, 1990). *Nihon Kenchiku-shi* (in Japanese) (September 30, 2008 ed.). Shōwa-dō. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-4-8122-9805-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-4-8122-9805-3).

- [Hardacre, Helen](/source/Helen_Hardacre) (1986). "Creating State Shinto: The Great Promulgation Campaign and the New Religions". *Journal of Japanese Studies*. **12** (1): 29–63. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/132446](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F132446). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [132446](https://www.jstor.org/stable/132446).

- Havens, Norman; Inoue, Nobutaka (translated by Norman Havens and Helen Hardacre), eds. (2004). "Jinja (Encyclopedia of Shinto, vol. 2)" [Shrines]. *Encyclopedia of Shinto*. Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics, Kokugakuin University. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-4-905853-12-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-4-905853-12-1).

- Mori, Mizue (2005-06-02). ["Honden"](http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=250). *Encyclopedia of Shinto*. Kokugakuin University. Retrieved 2008-12-19.

- Sokyo Ono; [William Woodard](/source/William_Woodard) (2004). *Shinto: The Kami Way*. Tuttle Publishing. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8048-3557-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8048-3557-2).

- Picken, Stuart D. B. (1994). *Essentials of Shinto: An Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings*. Greenwood. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0313264317](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0313264317).

- [Smyers, Karen Ann](/source/Karen_Ann_Smyers) (1999). *The Fox and the Jewel: Shared and Private Meanings in Contemporary Japanese Inari Worship*. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8248-2102-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8248-2102-9).

- [The History of Shrines](https://d-museum.kokugakuin.ac.jp/eos/detail/?id=9114), *Encyclopedia of Shinto*, retrieved on June 10, 2008

- Metevelis, Peter (1994). ["Shinto Shrines or Shinto Temples?"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180331214339/https://asianethnology.org/downloads/ae/pdf/a1018.pdf) (PDF). *Asian Folklore Studies*. **53** (2): 337–345. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/1178650](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F1178650). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [1178650](https://www.jstor.org/stable/1178650). Archived from [the original](https://asianethnology.org/downloads/ae/pdf/a1018.pdf) (PDF) on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2025.

- [Shrine Architecture](https://d-museum.kokugakuin.ac.jp/eos/search/?contents_type=89). *Encyclopedia of Shinto*, retrieved on 29 October 2025.

- "[Overview of a Shinto Shrine](https://web.archive.org/web/20080508184105/http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/overviewofashintoshrine/)", a detailed visual introduction to the structure of a Shinto shrine, *Encyclopedia of Shinto*. Retrieved on 29 October 2025.

- [Jinja no Shōgō ni Tsuite Oshiete Kudasai](http://jinja.jp/modules/chishiki/index.php?content_id=56); [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141019044202/http://jinja.jp/modules/chishiki/index.php?content_id=56) 2014-10-19 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) (in Japanese), Shinto Online Network Association, retrieved on July 2, 2008

- Tamura, Yoshiro (2000). ["The Birth of the Japanese nation and the Ascent of Buddhism"](https://archive.org/details/japanesebuddhism0000tamu/page/22/mode/2up). [*Japanese Buddhism: A Cultural History*](https://archive.org/details/japanesebuddhism0000tamu). Translated by Hunter, Jeffrey (First ed.). Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Co. pp. 23–34. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-4-333-01684-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-4-333-01684-6).

## Further reading

- Cluzel, Jean-Sébastien (October 2008). *Architecture éternelle du Japon - De l'histoire aux mythes*. Dijon: Editions Faton. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-2-87844-107-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-2-87844-107-9).

- [The Herbert Offen Research Collection of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum](http://www.pem.org/library/collections/offen); [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100130185156/http://www.pem.org/library/collections/offen) 2010-01-30 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

- [Scheid, Bernhard](/source/Bernhard_Scheid); [Teeuwen, Mark](/source/Mark_Teeuwen) (2006). *The Culture of Secrecy in Japanese Religion*. London: Routledge. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-415-38713-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-415-38713-2). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [63679956](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/63679956).

- Shimizu, Karli. *Overseas Shinto Shrines: Religion, Secularity and the Japanese Empire* (Bloomsbury Academic, 2022) - [Online book review](http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=58750)

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Shinto shrines](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Shinto_shrines).

- [Encyclopedia of Shinto](http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/), Kokugakuin University

- [Jinja and Shinto](http://jinja.or.jp/), site of the Shinto Online Network Association

- [Jinja Honchō](http://www.jinjahoncho.or.jp/en/), the Association of Shinto Shrines

- [Kokugakuin University Shinto Jinja Database](http://21coe.kokugakuin.ac.jp/db/jinja/) (in Japanese)

- [Shinto Shrine types](http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shrine-guide.shtml)

v t e Shinto shrines Shinto architecture Buildings chōzu or temizu Haiden Heiden hokora honden / shinden / shōden kagura-den setsumatsusha Architectonic elements Chinjusha chigi hidden roof kaerumata: see nakazonae kairō karahafu karamon katōmado katsuogi kitsune (fox) komainu mon nakazonae shinboku shōrō sōrin tamagaki tokyō torii tōrō Styles hirairi-zukuri tsumairi-zukuri hachiman-zukuri hiyoshi-zukuri irimoya-zukuri ishi-no-ma-zukuri kasuga-zukuri kibitsu-zukuri misedana-zukuri nagare-zukuri ōtori-zukuri owari-zukuri ryōnagare-zukuri shinmei-zukuri sumiyoshi-zukuri taisha-zukuri Decorations Sandō Saisen Tomoe Shimenawa Others Implements An Chōzubachi Chōzuya Hakama Himorogi Jōe Kagura suzu O-miki Ō-nusa Gohei Sanbo Shide Shinsen Suzu Tamagushi Masakaki Washi Head shrines1 Fushimi Inari Taisha Inari Ōkami Inari shrine Usa Hachiman-gū Hachiman Hachiman Shrine Ise Grand Shrine Amaterasu Jingūkyō Jingu Taima Shinmei shrines Dazaifu Tenman-gū Tenjin Tenmangū Munakata Taisha daughters of Amaterasu Suwa Taisha Takeminakata Yasakatome Kotoshironushi Hiyoshi Taisha Ōkuninushi Oyamakui no Kami Sannō torii Sannō Ichijitsu Shintō Kumano Nachi Taisha Kumano Kodō Kumano Sanzan Ōta Shrine Tsushima Shrine Gion cult Yasaka Shrine Gion cult Tutelary deities Ujigami Chinjugami Garanshin Dōsojin Jinushigami Yama-no-Kami Oyagami Sorei Ubusunagami Kunitama Yorishiro and Shintai Mirrors Shinboku (trees) Chinju no Mori (forests) Iwakura (rocks) Meoto Iwa Kannabi (locations) Katashiro (dolls) Kadomatsu Bunrei and Kanjō (propagation) Ofuda Jingu Taima Omamori Senjafuda Arahitogami Mikoshi Matsuri float Shinko-shiki Staff Kannushi Miko Miscellaneous A-un Kanjo Nawa Junrei Misaki Miyamairi Shinshi Classification Twenty-Two Shrines Gokoku Shrines Beppyo Shrines Shinkai (divine rank) Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines Engishiki Jinmyocho Chinjusha Setsumatsusha Hokora Buddhist elements jingū-ji miyadera Whale mounds Kamidana Mitamaya Sōja shrine History Shrine Parishioner Registration Secular Shrine Theory Shrine Consolidation Policy Shrine Shinto Misc practices for visitors Ō-mikuji Shuin Ema Institutions Jinja Honchō Rites Futomani Harae Kagura Misogi Hakushu Two bows, two claps, one bow Jichinsai 1 (in order of the size of the shrine network they head)

v t e Places of worship Baháʼí Faith Baháʼí House of Worship Buddhism Buddhist Monastery or Vihāra Chaitya Pagoda Shaolin Monastery Stupa Wat Christianity Church Kliros Peristasis Pulpit Templon Hinduism Hindu temple or Mandir Balinese temple or Pura Jainism Jain temple or Derasar or Basadi Judaism Synagogue or Shul Islam Mosque Dargah Gongbei Mandaeism Mandi or Mashkhanna or Beth Manda Paganism & modern paganism Heathen hof or Germanic pagan temple Magic circle Shintoism Shinto Shrine or Jinja Sikhism Gurdwara Taoism Taoist temple or Dàoguàn Zoroastrianism Fire temple or Agiary or Atashkadeh or Atashgah or Dar-e Mehr Varying religions and beliefs Altar Cult Architecture Asylum Cult image Sacred space Sanctuary Shrine Temple Cave temples Sun temple Related Dedication Hierotopy Sanctum sanctorum Note: Sorted alphabetically except the last one

Authority control databases International GND National Japan Czech Republic

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Shinto shrine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto_shrine) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto_shrine?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.