The is a traditional Japanese architectural style used at Hachiman

Hachiman

In Japanese mythology, is the Japanese syncretic god of archery and war, incorporating elements from both Shinto and Buddhism. Although often called the god of war, he is more correctly defined as the tutelary god of warriors. He is also divine protector of Japan and the Japanese people...

 shrines in which two parallel structures with gabled roofs are interconnected on the non-gabled side, forming one building which, when seen from the side, gives the impression of two. The front structure is called , the rear one , and together they form the honden

Honden

The , is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined kami, usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a statue. The building is normally in the rear of the shrine and closed to the general public. In front of its usually stands the haiden, or...

. The honden itself is completely surrounded by a cloister

Cloister

A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...

-like covered corridor called (see photo). Access is made possible by a gate called .

It has a structure, that is, the building has its main entrance on the side which runs parallel to the roof's ridge (non gabled-side). There are entrances also at the center of the gabled sides (see image). In general, the rear structure is 3x2 ken, while the front one is 3x1.

The space between the two structures is one ken

Ken

Ken or KEN may refer to:*Ken meaning "prefecture" in Japanese - see Prefectures of Japan*Ken , 1964 Japanese film*Kèn from Vietnam*Komisja Edukacji Narodowej, Polish National Board of Education...

 wide and forms a room called . The actual width and height of this room vary with the shrine.

Extant examples are Usa Shrine

Usa Shrine

, also known as , is a Shinto shrine in the city of Usa in Ōita Prefecture in Japan. Emperor Ojin, who was deified as Hachiman-jin , is said to be enshrined in all the sites dedicated to him; and the first and earliest of these was at Usa in the early 8th century...

 and Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū. This style, of which only five Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

 examples survive, may be of Buddhist origin, since some Buddhist buildings show the same division. For example, Tōdai-ji

Todai-ji

, is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...

's hokke-dō is divided in two sections laid out front and back. Structural details also show a strong relationship with the Heian period

Heian period

The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

 style called shinden-zukuri

Shinden-zukuri

Shinden-zukuri refers to the style of domestic architecture developed for palatial or aristocratic mansions built in Heian-kyō in the Heian period , especially in 10th century Japan....

 used in aristocratic residences. Another possible origin of this style may have been early palaces, known to have had parallel ridges on the roof.

An example of hachiman-zukuri style

in Matsuyama, Ehime

Matsuyama, Ehime

is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan. It is located on the northeastern portion of the Dōgo Plain. Its name means "pine mountain." The city was founded on December 15, 1889....

, is a rare example of the hachiman-zukuri style.