Taisha-zukuri

Kamosu Jinja's ''honden'' and a granary at Toro

is an ancient Japanese architectural style and the oldest Shinto shrine architectural style. Named after Izumo Taisha's ''honden'' (sanctuary), like Ise Grand Shrine's ''shinmei-zukuri'' style it features a bark roof decorated with poles called ''chigi'' and ''katsuogi'', plus archaic features like gable-end pillars and a single central pillar (''shin no mihashira''). The ''honden's'' floor is raised above the ground through the use of stilts (see photo).
Like the ''shinmei-zukuri'' and ''sumiyoshi-zukuri'' styles, it predates the arrival of Buddhism in Japan.

History

Ancient shrines were constructed according to the style of dwellings (Izumo Taisha)Young & Young (2007:50)Kishida (2008:33) or storehouses (Ise Grand Shrine).Fletcher and Cruickshank (1996:724) 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: ''taisha-zukuri'', ''shinmei-zukuri'' and ''sumiyoshi-zukuri''.Kishida (2008:34) They are exemplified by Izumo Taisha, Nishina Shinmei Shrine and Sumiyoshi TaishaKishida (2008:35) respectively and date to before 552.Kishida (2008:126) 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.

Structure

Izumo Taisha's ''honden'' over time has gone through profound changes that have greatly decreased its size and changed its structure.Fujita, Koga (2008:24) In its present form, it is a gabled building 2x2 ''ken''A ''ken'' is the distance between one supporting pillar and another, a quantity which can vary from shrine to shrine and even within the same building. In this case, a ''ken'' is 6.32 m, well above its standard value of just below 2 m. in size, with an entrance on the gabled end (a characteristic called . Like Ise Grand Shrine's, it has purely ornamental poles called ''chigi'' (vertical) and ''katsuogi'' (horizontal) on a cypress bark-covered roof, plus archaic features like gable-end pillars and a single central pillar (). This pillar has a diameter of 10.9 cm, has no obvious structural role and is believed to have had a purely religious significance. The external stairway is covered by an independent bark-covered roof (see illustration in the gallery).

The ''honden's'' interior is a square divided into four identical sections, each covered by fifteen ''tatami'' (straw mats). The floor plan has therefore the shape of the Chinese character for , an element which suggests a possible connection with harvest propitiation rites.

Because its floor is raised above the ground, the ''honden'' is believed to have its origin in raised-floor granaries like those found in Toro, Shizuoka prefecture.JAANUS
Taisha-zukuri
accessed on December 1, 2009

The oldest extant example of ''taisha-zukuri'' is the ''honden'' at Kamosu Shrine in Matsue, Shimane prefecture, built in 1582 and now declared a National Treasure. Smaller than Izumo Taisha's, it nonetheless has thick supporting pillars. It is deeper, has a higher floor, and differs significantly from Izumo Taisha's. It probably represents an older style of construction.

Gallery

Image:Izumo Shrine Honden.jpg, Front and side view of Izumo Taisha's ''honden''
Image:Izumo-shrine Haiden Honden.jpg, The ''honden'' is visible in the background
File:Izumo-taisha 121538651 f69f257ed0 o.jpg, Roofs at Izumo Taisha

Notes

References

History and Typology of Shrine Architecture
Encyclopedia of Shinto accessed on November 29, 2009
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{{Shinto shrine

Shinto architecture
Izumo Grand Shrine