Isaniwa Jinja Matsuyama Honden Hachiman-zukuri

The is a traditional Japanese

architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

used at

Hachiman In Japanese religion, ''Yahata'' (八幡神, ancient Shinto pronunciation) formerly in Shinto and later commonly known as Hachiman (八幡神, Japanese Buddhist pronunciation) is the syncretic divinity of archery and war, incorporating elements ...

shrines in which two parallel structures with gabled roofs are interconnected on the non-gabled side, forming one building which, when seen from the side, gives the impression of two.JAANUS
Hachiman-zukuri
accessed on December 1, 2009 The front structure is called , the rear one , and together they form the ''

honden In Shinto shrine architecture, the , also called , or sometimes as in Ise Shrine's case, is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined ''kami'', usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a s ...

''.History and Typology of Shrine Architecture
Encyclopedia of Shinto accessed on November 2009 The ''honden'' itself is surrounded by a

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...

-like covered corridor called (see photo). Access is made possible by a gate called . It has a structure, that is, the building has its main entrance on the side which runs parallel to the roof's ridge (non gabled-side). There are entrances also at the center of the gabled sides (see image). In general, the rear structure is 3x2 ''ken'', while the front one is 3x1. The space between the two structures is one ''

ken Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in ...

'' wide and forms a room called . The actual width and height of this room vary with the shrine. Extant examples are

Usa Shrine The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū. This style, of which only five

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...

examples survive, may be of Buddhist origin, since some Buddhist buildings show the same division. For example,

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergo ...

's ''hokke-dō''Literally "

Lotus Sūtra The ''Lotus Sūtra'' ( zh, 妙法蓮華經; sa, सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्रम्, translit=Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram, lit=Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma, italic=) is one of the most influ ...

Hall". A hall whose layout allows walking around a statue for meditation. is divided in two sections laid out front and back. Structural details also show a strong relationship with the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...

style called ''

shinden-zukuri ''Shinden-zukuri'' (寝殿造) refers to an architectural style created in the Heian period (794－1185) in Japan and used mainly for palaces and residences of nobles. In 894, Japan abolished the ''kentōshi'' (Japanese missions to Tang China ...

'' used in aristocratic residences. Another possible origin of this style may have been early palaces, known to have had parallel ridges on the roof.

An example of ''hachiman-zukuri'' style

Matsuyama, Ehime 270px, Matsuyama City Hall 270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan and also Shikoku's largest city. , the city had an estimated population of 505,948 in 243541 househ ...

, is a rare example of the ''hachiman-zukuri'' style. File:Isaniwa Shrine roumon.jpg, The shrine is hidden behind a cloister-like corridor called . Access is possible through gate called File:Isaniwa-haiden.jpg, The ''rōmon'' leads to the '' haiden'', or oratory, which in turn leads to the ''honden''. File:Hachiman-zukuri-Isaniwa shrine.jpg, The characteristic profile of a ''hachiman-zukuri'' ''honden'' File:Inaniwa Honden haiden.jpg, From left to right, the ''rōmon'', the ''haiden'', and the ''honden'' File:Isaniwa Honden.jpg, The gabled side of the ''honden''. Visible the door of the ''ai-no-ma''

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hachiman-Zukuri Shinto architecture

An example of ''hachiman-zukuri'' style

See also

Notes