page_title: Shinto shrine
section_title: Kasuga-zukuri
hierarchical_section_title: Shinto shrine / Architectural styles / Most common styles / Kasuga-zukuri
caption_attribution_description: Udamikumari Shrine Kamigu The main shrine of Udamikumari Shrine Kamigu (left) is jointed 3 shinto shrines in the Kasuga style, built in 1320 (the end of the Kamakura period), had Japanese national treasure status. Massha Kasuga Shrine (center) in the Kasuga style, built in the middle of the Muromachi period, had Japanese important cultural property status. Massha Munakata Shrine (right) in the Nagare style, built in the end of the Muromachi period, had Japanese important cultural property status.
context_page_description: A Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house one or more kami. Its most important building is used for the safekeeping of sacred objects, and not for worship. Although only one word is used in English, in Japanese, Shinto shrines may carry any one of many different, non-equivalent names like gongen, -gū, jinja, jingū, mori, myōjin, -sha, taisha, ubusuna, or yashiro.
  Structurally, a Shinto shrine is usually characterized by the presence of a honden or sanctuary, where the kami is enshrined. The honden may however be completely absent, as for example when the shrine stands on a sacred mountain to which it is dedicated, and which is worshipped directly. The honden may also be missing when there are nearby altar-like structures called himorogi or objects believed to be capable of attracting spirits called yorishiro that can serve as a direct bond to a kami. There may be a haiden and other structures as well. However, a shrine's most important building is used for the safekeeping of sacred objects rather than for worship.
  Miniature shrines can occasionally be found on roadsides. Large shrines sometimes have on their precincts miniature shrines, sessha or massha.
context_section_description: Kasuga-zukuri (春日造) as a style takes its name from Kasuga Taisha's honden. It is characterized by the extreme smallness of the building, just 1×1 ken in size. In Kasuga Taisha's case, this translates in 1.9 m × 2.6 m. The roof is gabled with a single entrance at the gabled end, decorated with chigi and katsuogi, covered with cypress bark and curved upwards at the eaves. Supporting structures are painted vermillion, while the plank walls are white.
  After the Nagare-zukuri (see above), this is the most common style, with most instances in the Kansai region around Nara.
caption: The honden at Uda Mikumari Shrine Kami-gū is made of 3 joined Kasuga-zukuri buildings
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