taisha-zukuri 大社造

Also called ōyashiro-zukuri. The oldest style of shrine architecture. Its small scale is thought to resemble that of ancient dwellings. Because the floor is raised, takayuka-zukuri 高床造, the style is believed to have been derived from the raised-floor grain storehouses of the type reconstructed at the Toro site, Toro iseki 登呂遺跡, in Shizuoka Prefecture. This architectural style is used for the main sanctuary *honden 本殿, particularly in shrines in Shimane and Tottori Prefectures which border the Japan Sea.

The honden is 2 × 2 bays (11.64 m × 11.64 m) with an entrance placed in the east bay of the south gable end *tsumairi 妻入, and has double wooden doors. The west bay has a door with bottom and top parts that are removable *shitomido 蔀戸, but all other bays are enclosed by vertically set boards. A roofed flight of stairs leads directly to the east bay entrance. A high-railed, shallow veranda surrounded the building and was about one meter deeper across the front than on the other three sides. Pillars supported by foundation stones *soseki 礎石, are located at each corner, the center of each side and in the very center of the structure. The central pillar, called daibashira 大柱, *daikoku-bashira 大黒柱 or *shin-no-mibashira 心の御柱, is the largest in diameter, 10.9 cm, and does not extend beyond the transverse beam which rests upon it. Structurally, the transverse beam is well supported without the central pillar, and is thus believed to be a sacred pillar with deep religious significance. The pillars centered on the gable ends *uzubashira 珍柱 are 85 cm in diameter and have the same function as the munamochi pillars *munamochi-bashira 棟持柱, which rise above the transverse beams to support the ridge. All others are still smaller 75 cm and support the transverse beams.

The interior at Izumo Taisha 出雲大社 in Shimane Prefecture contains 60 *tatami 畳 mats. The square interior is divided into four equal quarters, each containing 15 mats, and thus looks like the character for a rice field, ta 田. This suggests the architectural style has a very ancient connection with an agrarian society dependent on ovations to the gods for a plentiful harvest. A partition *majikiri 間仕切 placed between the middle pillar on the outside wall and the large central pillar, separates the front quarter from the rear quarter (on the right side at Izumo Taisha and on the left side at Kamosu Jinja 神魂神社). The god's seat occupies the rear section and faces the opposite side wall, not the entrance end. The partition wall does not reach the smooth-board ceiling *kagami tenjō 鏡天井, which is decorated with colorful stylized cloud patterns. The gable roof *kirizuma yane 切妻屋根 is covered with cypress bark hiwada 桧皮 and curved *hiwadabuki 桧皮葺. It also has drooping verges *minokō 箕甲. It is probable that before it was influenced by continental styles, the roof line was straight and may have been thatch. The bargeboards *hafu 破風 are severely curved and have pendants *gegyo 懸魚 of late vintage which hide the ridge ends. Forked finials okichigi 置千木 (see *chigi 千木) set on top of the box-ridge *hakomune 箱棟 are placed well in from the ends. Three billets *katsuogi 堅魚木 also adorn the center of the box-ridge and at each end, just inside the forked finials. Today the forked finials and billets appear more as ornamentation than as symbolic connotations, but do identify the structure as Shinto. 

Examples: Izumo Taisha, Kamosu Jinja, Kumano Jinja 熊野神社, all in Shimane Prefecture.