Ishi-no-ma-zukuri
Introduction A gongen-zukuri shrine. From the top: ''honden'', ''ishi-no-ma'', ''haiden''. In yellow the ridges of the roofs, also called ,  and , is a complex Shinto shrine structure in which the ''haiden'', or worship hall, and the ''honden'', or main sanctuary, are interconnected under the same roof in the shape of an H. The connecting passage can be called , , or  ("intermediate hall"). The floor of each of the three halls can be at a different level. If the ''ai-no-ma'' is paved with stones it is called ''ishi-no-ma'', whence the name of the style. It can, however, be paved with planks or ''tatami''. Its width is often the same as the ''honden's'', with the ''haiden'' from one to three ''ken'' wider.This style, rather than the structure of a building, defines the relationship between member structures of a shrine. Each member then belongs to a particular architectural style. For example, the ''honden'' and ''haiden'' at  are single-storied, ''irimoya-zukuri'' edifices. Because they are connected by a passage called ''ishi-no-ma'' and are covered by a single roof, however, the complex is classified as belonging to the ''ishi-no-ma-zukuri'' style.One of the oldest examples is Kitano Tenman-gū in Kyoto. The ''gongen-zukuri'' name comes from Nikkō Tōshō-gū in Nikkō, which enshrines the Tōshō Daigongen (Tokugawa Ieyasu) and adopts this structure.
See also * Shinto architecture* Glossary of Shinto
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