Also hōzō 宝蔵, shinko 神庫, itakura 板倉, banzō 板蔵, sazō 叉蔵. A storehouse for the precious possessions belonging to a shrine. It evolved from the ancient timber storehouse. Since a shrine is considered the dwelling place of a god, the hōko contains those things offered to the god. In the Engishiki 延喜式, a book which outlines shrine procedures during the Engi 延喜 era (901-22), there are innumerable lists of materials used as offerings to shrines during festivals. Examples: Kasuga Taisha Hōko 春日大社宝庫 (1385-88) in Nara. This 2 x 2 bay building is an itakura type, i.e., horizontal board construction with a floor raised about the ground slightly less than one-third of the vertical height of the shrine wall. Tamukeyama Jinja Hōko 手向山神社宝庫 (Nara period) in Nara, located at Tōdaiji 東大寺. It is a 3 x 2 bay log-type storehouse.