A special stable to house the sacred horse offered to a shrine by the imperial family or a nobleman. The most famous is that at Nikkō Tōshōgū 日光東照宮 in Tochigi Prefecture, which includes an attendants' quarters, and a stall surrounded by a spacious earthen-floored area. This building reflects a style of stable that can be seen on folding screens called "scenes in and around Kyoto" *rakuchū rakugai-zu 洛中洛外図 painted in the Momoyama period.
Like residential architecture, the building's structural members and wall panels are made of plain, natural wood. The quiet, elegant characteristics of domestic architecture are also reflected in the tiled gable roof with extended eaves, the black lacquered latticed sliding doors, and the veranda wings. It is a noticeable contrast to the brilliance of the colorfully lacquered shrine buildings. The only decorative parts are the painted curved panels above the sliding doors on which the three famous monkeys San-en 三猿 (hear-no-evil, see-no-evil, and speak-no-evil) are found. There is also ornamentation on the bosses and bargeboards. Another example of this building exists at Kunōzan Tōshōgū Shinkyū 久能山東照宮神厩 (1617) in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Nikkō Tōshōgū Shinkyū 日光東照宮神厩 (Tochigi)