gion-zukuri 祇園造

Also called *yasaka-zukuri 八坂造. The style of the main shrine building *honden 本殿, rebuilt at Yasaka Jinja 八坂神社 (1654) in Kyoto. The name gion-zukuri is derived from its location within the famed pleasure quarter in Kyoto. Prior to the Meiji period, this shrine was called Gion Daishindō 祇園大神堂. It is believed that this shrine combined a Shinto god and a Buddha who would occasionally make a temporary appearance. The plan is complicated with a 5 × 2 bay center core surrounded by an aisle *hisashi 廂, on four sides. The center contains the *naijin 内陣 that is divided into a middle and inner sanctuary and includes a little treasure hall. A seven bay wide front was added later, and on each side of the building two-bay-wide shrines for worshipping were also added. Furthermore, in front and back of the building are hisashi, with subsidiary aisle *magobisashi 孫廂, forming additional bays extending across the front and the back of the building.