1 Shrines which in the Nara and Heian periods received special government supported status. These shrines were involved in developing new styles of architecture. The result was a mixture of elements from a variety of sources. See *hachiman-zukuri 八幡造, *sumiyoshi-zukuri 住吉造, *hie-zukuri 日吉造.
2 Shrines registered with the Department of Religious Affairs, jingikan 神祗官, that were the dwelling places of the most important deities, kami 神. During important festivals, priests performed rituals called norito 神詞, which included reciting prayers of praise and invocations to the kami for protection from disasters feared by an agrarian society. The rituals were followed by the presentation of offerings to the gods by the government, nobility, and chieftains. These included various kinds of cloth, food, white horses, weapons, rice wine, and timber for new shrine buildings.
3 A general term that included kanpeisha 官幣社 and kokuheisha 国幣社. Kanpeisha were shrines designated as official by the Department of Religious affairs, jingikan. Kokuheisha were shrines under the control of provincial governors.