, or is a traditional Japanese Shinto architectural style characterized by four dormer

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 ...

s, two per lateral side, on the roof of a very large '' honden'' (sanctuary). The gables are set at a right angle to the main roof ridge, and the ''honden'' is part of a single complex also including a ''

haiden Haiden may refer to: *A Gewürztraminer wine * Haiden (Shinto), the hall of worship of a Shinto shrine See also * Heiden (disambiguation) {{disambig ...

'' (worship hall).

Kibitsu Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the Kibitsu neighborhood of Kita-ku, Okayama in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It is the ''ichinomiya'' of former Bitchū Province. The main festivals of the shrine is held annually on the second Sunday of May and on October 1 ...

in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan is the sole example of the style, although the Soshi- dō of Hokekyō-ji in

Chiba prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to t ...

is believed to have been modeled on it.

Structure

The T-shaped shrine is composed of two buildings: the ''haiden'' or prayer hall, in the front, and the '' honden'' or sanctuary, in the back, both under the same roof and joined by a short stairway (see floorplan). Both buildings show the clear influence of

Buddhist architecture Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism: monasteries ( viharas), places to venerate relics ( stupas), and shrines or prayer ...

, as they include features of all major styles, that is

Daibutsuyō is a Japanese religious architectural style which emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. Together with ''Wayō'' and ''Zenshūyō'', it is one of the three most significant styles developed by Japanese Buddhism on the basis of Chinese mo ...

, Zenshūyō and

Wayō is a Buddhist architectural style developed in Japan before the Kamakura period (1185－1333), and is one of the important Buddhist architectural styles in Japan along with ''Daibutsuyō'' and the '' Zenshūyō'', which were developed based on ...

''Honden''

The ''honden'', which shows strong ''

daibutsuyō is a Japanese religious architectural style which emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. Together with ''Wayō'' and ''Zenshūyō'', it is one of the three most significant styles developed by Japanese Buddhism on the basis of Chinese mo ...

'' influences, is extremely large, measuring 14.64 x 17.99 m, or 5 (front) x 8 (depth) x 7 (rear) bays, with bays of a different length according to their position. The ''honden's'' interior has a complex structure, being divided in six separate sections joined by six different stairways (see flooplan). At the very center of the ''honden'' are two sanctuaries, the which measures 3 x 2 bays, and the , which measures 3 x 1 bays. The two sanctuaries are surrounded on all sides by two corridors called the and the . Between the ''chūjin'' and the ''gejin'' lies a 5 x 1 bay space called ,A ''kōhai'' is a pent roof above the stairs of a shrine or temple also called . The closer one gets to the center, the higher the floor and the ceiling. The ceiling's structure itself changes, as most of the ''chūjin'' and the entire ''gejin'' have no ceiling, and the roof is therefore exposed, whereas other sections have ceilings of different types. The ''nainaijin'' for example lies below the gables. The whole area is decorated with vermillion and black lacquer. Kibitsu Jinja 04

''Haiden''

The ''honden'' is connected in the front to the ''haiden'' by a 1 x 1 bay passage and a short stairway. The ''haiden's''

core Core or cores may refer to: Science and technology * Core (anatomy), everything except the appendages * Core (manufacturing), used in casting and molding * Core (optical fiber), the signal-carrying portion of an optical fiber * Core, the centra ...

is just 3 x 1 bays, but it is surrounded on three sides by a 1-bay wide ''

mokoshi In Japanese architecture , literally "skirt storey" or "cuff storey", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the ''mokoshi'' gives the impression of there being ...

'' (pent roof), bringing the building's external dimensions to 4 x 4 bays. Both entrances to the ''haiden'' are on the gabled side (''

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).

Roof

Together with the outsize ''honden'', the most visible feature of the shrine are the twin gables on both sides of the roof. This style of roof, called ''hiyoku

irimoya-zukuri The East Asian hip-and-gable roof (''Xiēshān'' (歇山) in Chinese, ''Irimoya'' (入母屋) in Japanese, and ''Paljakjibung'' (팔작지붕) in Korean) also known as 'resting hill roof', consists of a hip roof that slopes down on all four sides ...

'', or "paired wing, hip-and-gable roof style", consists of two ridges at a right angle to the main roof which end in two dormer gables.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kibitsu-Zukuri Shinto architecture