A large number of shrines exist in Japan. Each shrine is an important place where Japan’s traditional culture and history have been passed down over time. There are hidden secrets at shrines to be discovered, and by acquiring knowledge about these shrines, the way you have looked at them up until now will be changed. It will also deepen your understanding of festivals and shrine visits.

Shrine etiquette

As is the same with shrines, there exist many different types of temple gates. Even if you summarize it with one word, the size and form of each gate can be completely different.

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Shrine architecture

• Shrine Gate
• Auxiliary Shrine
• Komainu(guardian lion-dog)
• Torii
• Shimenawa
• Fujizuka

What is a shrine?

Shrines are places of worship for people of the Shinto religion. At a shrine you will find a building called the worshiping hall, and further in the inner sanctuary or main shrine. At the main shrine there are various items which are displayed to be worshiped. These items vary depending on the shrine. Some shrines have mirrors or swords, but in truth these items are not the gods themselves. The reason for this is because it is not possible to see a god, and these invisible gods mainly rest in places like shrines.

Everything in nature is god

In Japan it has been told down from generation to generation that within everything existing in nature resides a god. In other words, there are gods dwelling in stones and mountains, and trees as well. Because of this, shrines in the past did not have a building which housed the main item of worship, and instead went directly to the mountain, tree, rock, etc to worship.

The difference between shrines and temples

What is the biggest difference between shrines and temples? The answer is, whether or not there are torii, and where or not there is a statue of Buddha.