A hall either dedicated to Shōtoku Taishi 聖徳太子 (ca. 574-622), the second son of Emperor Yōmei 用明 (r. 585-87), or a building that houses a statue or painting of Shōtoku Taishi (see *Shōtoku Taishi-zō 聖徳太子像). One example, the taishidō at Kakurinji 鶴林寺 (1112) in Hyōgo Prefecture, is a 3 × 3 bay structure with a *magobisashi 孫廂, an enclosed 1-bay deep aisle that extends beyond the front aisle *hisashi 廂. The overall dimensions are 8.51 m × 6.38 m. Steps lead to the main entrance on the west side, and double-paneled doors *karahafu 唐破風, open into the extended aisle. The floor is a step lower than the main part of the building and is called the *raidō 礼堂, the place for worshippers. Heavy board-backed lattice screens called *shitomido 蔀戸 are divided horizontally to open and fill the remaining bays of the west side and across the front. Originally, the east side had openings, but now is a solid plank wall. An open boarded veranda surrounds the entire building but it is at a lower level around the magobisashi.
The main building has bracket complexes composed of a large bearing block into which a bracket arm *daito hijiki 大斗肘木 is set. There are double eaves *futanoki 二軒, and the rafters are closely spaced *shigedaruki 繁垂木. The magobisashi has chamfered square posts, boat-shaped bracket arms, *funahijiki 舟肘木, single eaves *hitonoki 一軒, and widely spaced rafters *mabaradaruki 疎垂木. The roof over the main part is pyramidal *hōgyō-zukuri 宝形造, and the long extended roof and bargeboards, nagarehafu 流破風, reach from the corners of the pyramidal roof to culminate in a deep eave over the front veranda. The roof is covered with cypress bark *hiwadabuki 桧皮葺.
The interior plan consists of a 1-bay core *moya 母屋, with four circular pillars *shiten-bashira 四天柱, marking the moya area. The rear two are *raigō-bashira 来迎柱 and the wall that stretches between them is called *raigō-kabe 来迎壁. Raigō refers to the descent of the Amida Buddha from his paradise in order to take up the souls of the deceased. A single-bay deep aisle, hisashi, runs around the core. Both the core and the magobisashi have finely-latticed and coffered ceilings *kogumi gōtenjō 小組格天井. Originally, the magobisashi had an open ceiling *keshō yaneura 化粧屋根裏. Formally, the taishidō was called *hokkedō 法華堂 and is the oldest extant taishidō of that type.