The or is a traditional

Shinto shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

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 ...

characterized by a very asymmetrical

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

d roof () projecting outwards on one of the non-gabled sides, above the main entrance, to form a portico (see photo).History and Typology of Shrine Architecture
Encyclopedia of Shinto accessed on November 2009 This is the feature which gives it its name. It is the most common style among shrines all over the country. That the building has its main entrance on the side which runs parallel to the roof's ridge (non gabled-side) makes it belong to the style.

Design

Sometimes its basic layout, consisting of an elevated partially surrounded by a veranda called ''

hisashi Hisashi is a masculine Japanese given name. Its meaning differs depending on the kanji used to write it. Kanji Single kanji used to write the name Hisashi include: *: "long time" *: "eternal" *: "still" *: "standard" *: "complete" *: "long" *: "li ...

'' (all under the same roof), is modified by the addition of a room in front of the entrance. A ''nagare-zukuri'' ''

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 sta ...

'' (sanctuary) varies in roof ridge length from 1 to 11 ''

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 ...

'',The ''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. but is never 6 or 8 ''ken''.JAANUS
Nagare-zukuri
accessed on December 1, 2009 The most common sizes are 1 and 3 ''ken''. The oldest shrine in Japan,

Uji is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded on March 1, 1951, Uji is between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa. ...

Ujigami Shrine An is a guardian god or spirit of a particular place in the Shinto religion of Japan. The ''ujigami'' was prayed to for a number of reasons, including protection from sickness, success in endeavors, and good harvests. History The ''ujigami' ...

, has a ''honden'' of this type. Its external dimensions are 5x3 ''ken'', but internally it is composed of three measuring 1 ''ken'' each.

Variation

''Ryōnagare-zukuri''

is an evolution of the ''nagare-zukuri'' in which the roof flows down to form a portico on both non-gabled sides. Examples are the ''honden'' at Itsukushima Shrine and that at

Matsunoo-taisha , formerly , is a Shinto shrine located at the far western end of Shijō Street, approximately 1.3 kilometers south of the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. It is home to a spring at the base of the mountain, Arashiyama, that is believed to be blesse ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

''Kasuga-zukuri'' and ''nagare-zukuri''

While superficially completely different, the ''nagare-zukuri'' style actually shares an ancestry with the second most popular style in Japan, the ''

kasuga-zukuri is a traditional Shinto shrine architectural style which takes its name from Kasuga Taisha's ''honden''. Description It is characterized by the use of a building just 1x1 ''ken'' in size with the entrance on the gabled end covered by a veranda. ...

''. The two for example share pillars set over a double-cross-shaped foundation and a roof which extends over the main entrance, covering a veranda. (The ''Kasuga-zukuri'' is the only ''

tsumairi is a Japanese traditional architectural structure where the building has its main entrance on one or both of the . The ''kasuga-zukuri'', ''taisha-zukuri'', and ''sumiyoshi-zukuri is an ancient Japanese Shinto shrine architectural style which ...

'' style to possess this last feature.) The foundation's configuration is typical not of permanent, but of temporary shrines, built to be periodically moved. This shows that, for example, both the ''nagare-zukuri'' Kamo Shrine and Kasuga Taisha used to be dedicated to a mountain cult, and that they had to be moved to follow the movements of the ''

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

''. The styles also share a veranda in front of the main entrance, which makes it likely they both evolved from a simple gabled roof.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagare-Zukuri Japanese words and phrases Shinto architecture

Design

Variation

''Ryōnagare-zukuri''

''Kasuga-zukuri'' and ''nagare-zukuri''

See also

Notes