Shōryōin 聖霊院

A hall dedicated to the soul of Shōtoku Taishi (see *Shōtoku Taishi-zō 聖徳太子像) at Hōryūji 法隆寺, in Nara. This hall was part of the east dormitory *Higashimuro 東室, until a typhoon destroyed it in 1110. When the dormitory was rebuilt in 1121, the south portion was transformed into the Shōryōin and a statue of Shōtoku Taishi was enshrined. The Shoryōin was reconstructed again in 1284. 

It is 5 bays wide and 6 bays deep (11.44 m × 18.41 m), and has a gabled roof *kirizuma-zukuri 切妻造, with the entrance on the gable end. The gable pediment has a simple central post supported by a diagonal brace on each side *inokosasu 豕扠首. The roofing is chiefly tile *hongawarabuki 本瓦葺, and there is a single bay ikken 一間 step-canopy *kōhai 向拝, and a one-bay deep open area under the pent roof. Both the step canopy and the pent roof are roofed with cypress bark shingles. The hall is similar to the shinden style *shinden-zukuri 寝殿造 aristocratic dwellings of the Heian period, especially with the copious use of squares of latticed-backed doors *shitomido 蔀戸 that open horizontally instead of vertically. The plan in general is also similar, as is the use of translucent screens *shōji 障子. On the interior in the inner sanctuary *naijin 内陣 is a miniature shrine *zushi 厨子 that has an undulating bargeboared *karahafu 唐破風 with a Heian period-type, open-work, frog-leg strut *kaerumata 蟇股 in the center bay. This is the earliest known structure that has an undulating bargeboard.