Type of Shinto shrine
Kamosu Jinja's
honden
and a granary at Toro
Taisha-zukuri
or
?yashiro-zukuri
(
大社造
)
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
).
[1]
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
[
edit
]
Ancient
shrines
were constructed according to the style of dwellings (
Izumo Taisha
)
[2]
[3]
or storehouses (
Ise Grand Shrine
).
[2]
[4]
The buildings had
gabled roofs
, raised floors, plank walls, and were
thatched
with reed or covered with
hinoki cypress
bark.
[4]
Such early shrines did not include a space for worship.
[2]
Three important forms of ancient shrine architectural styles exist:
taisha-zukuri
,
shinmei-zukuri
and
sumiyoshi-zukuri
.
[5]
They are exemplified by
Izumo Taisha
,
Nishina Shinmei Shrine
and
Sumiyoshi Taisha
[6]
respectively and date to before 552.
[7]
According to the tradition of
Shikinen seng?-sai
(
式年遷宮祭
)
, 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
[
edit
]
Reconstruction model of the ancient Izumo-taisha honden, based on remains of old pillars found on the site.
Reconstruction of Izumo Taisha's
honden
somewhat later, during the
Kamakura period
Izumo Taisha's
honden
over time has gone through profound changes that have greatly decreased its size and changed its structure.
[8]
In its present form, it is a gabled building 2x2
ken
[9]
in size, with an entrance on the gabled end (a characteristic called
tsumairi
-zukuri
(
妻入造
)
. 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 (
shin no mihashira
(
心の御柱
)
).
[8]
This pillar has a diameter of 10.9 cm, has no obvious structural role and is believed to have had a purely religious significance.
[10]
The external stairway is covered by an independent bark-covered roof (see illustration in the gallery).
Izumo Taisha's
honden
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 rice field
(
田
)
, an element which suggests a possible connection with harvest propitiation rites.
[10]
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
.
[10]
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
.
[8]
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.
[8]
Gallery
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Encyclopedia of Shinto
- ^
a
b
c
Young & Young (2007:50)
- ^
Kishida (2008:33)
- ^
a
b
Fletcher and Cruickshank (1996:724)
- ^
Kishida (2008:34)
- ^
Kishida (2008:35)
- ^
Kishida (2008:126)
- ^
a
b
c
d
Fujita, Koga (2008:24)
- ^
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.
- ^
a
b
c
JAANUS,
Taisha-zukuri
, accessed on December 1, 2009
References
[
edit
]
- History and Typology of Shrine Architecture
, Encyclopedia of Shinto accessed on November 29, 2009
- Fujita Masaya, Koga Sh?saku, ed. (April 10, 1990).
Nihon Kenchiku-shi
(in Japanese) (September 30, 2008 ed.). Sh?wa-d?.
ISBN
4-8122-9805-9
.
- Kishida, Hideto (2008).
Japanese Architecture
. READ BOOKS.
ISBN
978-1-4437-7281-5
. Retrieved
2009-11-11
.
,
- Young, David; Young, Michiko (2007) [2004].
The art of Japanese architecture
. Architecture and Interior Design (illustrated, revised ed.). Tuttle Publishing.
ISBN
978-0-8048-3838-2
. Retrieved
2009-11-11
.
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