Treatise 22: Deities of Heaven and Earth XXII: Shrine Buildings

¶On the system of shrine buildings. In high antiquity, when the kami were worshipped, a clean and pure plot of land was chosen, sacred trees were planted on its four sides to make it a dwelling place for the deity, and this was called a "Himorogi." Himorogi is read in the native way as "himorogi"; "himoro" means mimuro (the august chamber, the dwelling of a deity), and "gi" refers to trees. A ritual ground built up with stones was called an "Iwasaka." In remote antiquity, Ōnamuchi-no-Kami settled his Sakimitama and Kushimitama (his propitious and wondrous spirits) atop the Aogaki-no-Higashiyama (the green-fenced eastern mountain) of Yamato, and called that place "Mimoroyama." Mimoro means mimuro. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki.) When the Heavenly Ancestress was about to have the Imperial Grandchild descend to the Central Land of Reed Plains (the lower world), Takamimusubi-no-Mikoto set up the Heavenly Himorogi and the Heavenly Iwasaka and performed rites on behalf of the Imperial Grandchild. He then handed the Himorogi to the two deities Ame-no-Koyane-no-Mikoto and Ame-no-Futodama-no-Mikoto, and had them accompany the Imperial Grandchild and serve it in worship. The name Himorogi first appears at this time; and when Emperor Jinmu (the Great Ancestor) worshipped the heavenly deity of the Imperial Ancestors within Mount Tomi and for the first time established a Reishi (a ritual ground), this too was probably a kind of Himorogi.

¶Emperor Sujin moved Amaterasu-Ōmikami (the Heavenly Ancestress) to Kasanui Village in Yamato to be worshipped, set up a Himorogi of Shikatagi, and enshrined her divine spirit there. He then worshipped the various kami in turn and established the system of heavenly shrines (Amatsuyashiro) and earthly shrines (Kunitsuyashiro). The system of heavenly and earthly shrines itself had begun in remote antiquity (Note: that it began in remote antiquity follows the Engishiki), but at this time the system was further perfected. After this, the Himorogi was scarcely seen any longer, and in its place the system of the Yashiro (shrine) arose. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki.) The shrine is also called "Yashiro" in the sense of a "house-substitute." (Note: following the Izumo Fudoki.) To build a shrine building and set up a seat so that the divine spirit is always enthroned there, and to go there to perform rites whenever occasion arises—this is probably a system that survives from the palace chambers of the Age of the Gods. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Engishiki.) When the Heavenly Grandchild (Ninigi-no-Mikoto) built his palace, the ridgepole rose high to touch the great sky, and the foundation stones of the pillars sank deep to the very axis of the earth. The pillars were tall and great, the planks broad and thick, and thousand-fathom cords of paper-mulberry bark were bound into one hundred and eighty ties. Such was its grandeur. When Ōnamuchi-no-Mikoto yielded the land and submitted, the Imperial Ancestress treated him generously and, in accordance with his wish, had a palace built as grand as the dwelling of the Heavenly Grandchild, and named it "Ame-no-Hisumi-no-Miya." (Note: a summary of the general sense of the Kojiki, the Nihon Shoki, and the Izumo Fudoki.) The spirit of Ōnamuchi-no-Mikoto was at last enshrined there, and it became a shrine. Because of the grandeur of its construction it was called the "Ōyashiro" (Great Shrine). (Note: following the Nihon Shoki, the Engishiki, and the Shaku Nihongi.) The establishment of shrines throughout the realm probably began with this.

¶Emperor Suinin founded the shrine of Amaterasu-Ōmikami on the bank of the Isuzu River at Uji (Note: following the Nihon Shoki), and Emperor Yūryaku moved and built the Toyuke Shrine at Yamadahara in Watarai. (Note: following the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō and the Jinnō Shōtōki.) The two shrines together are commonly called the "Ise Daijingū" (Grand Shrine of Ise). (Note: following the Nihon Shoki and the Engishiki.) The system of their buildings is no different from that of the imperial residence. The roofs are all thatched, the timber is not carved, and Higi (chigi, the crossed finials) and Katsuogi (billet logs) are set on the roof ridge. (Note: according to the Kojiki, under the regulations of that time it was not permitted to set Katsuogi on the roof of a subject's house.) Pure and plain, unadorned, yet grand and full of dignity, there is nothing to surpass them. However, while the system of the imperial residence has, through the passing of generations, varied from age to age as to whether splendor or simplicity was valued, the Grand Shrine alone has never changed its form through all ages. As for the shrines of the realm, although they differ in the ranks of their honor and in the greatness or smallness of their scale, all take the system of this Grand Shrine as their model and have adapted it, adding or reducing according to their circumstances. (Note: the general sense of the Nihon Shoki, the Daijingū Gishikichō, and the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō was consulted.)

¶In general, in selecting a shrine site, places of clear and beautiful mountains and rivers, or of forests and valleys where the spiritual energy is outstanding, were usually chosen. This was not merely because such places suited the dwelling of the divine spirit, but also so that the deity would remain there, and so that those who served the deity would wash away their defilement and naturally awaken a spirit of solemnity. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki, the "Myōjin Hongi" cited in the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku, and the Yamashiro Fudoki and Hitachi Fudoki cited in the Shaku Nihongi.) Probably, under the system of the earlier ages, the Kuni-no-Miyatsuko and Agatanushi, and also the Omi, Muraji, and Tomo-no-Miyatsuko, held Tadokoro (estates) generation after generation, and each built a shrine on his land to perform the rites of his ancestors. Therefore the shrines within the provinces, even those that were not official shrines, were all well repaired and built and did not fall into ruin or decay. (Note: the general sense of the Nihon Shoki, the Kogo Shūi, the Shōjiroku, and the Engishiki was consulted.) After the Taika Reform, however, the provinces, the districts, and the Tadokoro all became the property of the court (Note: following the Nihon Shoki), and the shrines of the realm came to be repaired by their Shashi (shrine officials), with the provincial governors supervising. As a result, shrines with Kanbe (households attached to a shrine) were well maintained, while small shrines without such households gradually fell into disrepair. The system of shrine repair, after this, only became more complicated. (Note: the Ryō no Gige and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku were consulted.)

¶When Emperor Tenmu raised his army, he once offered prayers to the Grand Shrine, and at that time he had the intention of fixing a term of years for rebuilding the shrine. Before that, the halls, gates, and fences of the Grand Shrine had merely been repaired whenever they were damaged. In the second year of Empress Jitō, the Grand Shrine was rebuilt, and in the fourth year the Watarai Shrine was rebuilt. From then on, rebuilding every twenty years was long established as a fixed rule, and this was truly in obedience to the wishes that Emperor Tenmu left behind. (Note: following the Kanshō Zōnaigū-ki and the Daijingū Reibun.)

¶Under the Taihō system, the shrines of the realm were divided into three classes: great, middle, and small shrines. (Note: following the legal text cited in the Hōsō Shiyōshō. That work states that the Ise Daijingū and the Hachiman shrines are great shrines, shrines such as Kamo and Sumiyoshi are middle shrines, and the rest are small shrines, but it is unclear on what this is based, and it is added here for reference.) For the repair and rebuilding of the Grand Shrine, the rice tax, cloth tax, and labor-substitute tax of the Kanbe were allotted as the expense. (Note: following the Ryō no Gige.) In the third year of Keiun (706), an order was issued to have all the shrines swept clean. In the sixth year of Tenpyō (734), because of an earthquake, envoys were sent to the Home Provinces and the Seven Circuits to inspect the shrines. In the ninth year (737), envoys were sent to repair the shrines of the realm, and in the twelfth year (740), post-station envoys were dispatched to have the shrines of the various provinces adorned and put in order. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.) In the nineteenth year (747), it was established as a permanent precedent that the various separate shrines of the Grand Shrine should likewise be rebuilt in the same manner as the main shrine. (Note: following the Daijingū Zōjiki and the Engishiki.) In the first year of Tenpyō-jingo (765), envoys were sent to repair the shrines of the provinces. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi.)

¶In the second year of Hōki (771), the system for great, middle, and small shrines was fixed with regard to their halls, fences, gates, and the four boundaries (Shishi) of the shrine grounds, and was promulgated throughout the realm. Shrines of Senior Third Rank or above were great shrines, those of Junior Fourth Rank or above were middle shrines, and those of Junior Fifth Rank or above were small shrines.

¶A great shrine has four boundaries of nine chō. The main hall is one building, three bays, roofed with cypress bark, twelve shaku in height. There are eight Katsuogi, each five shaku long and nine sun in diameter. There are four Chigi, each thirteen shaku long. The Mizugaki (jeweled fence) is a single fence three jō on a side (Note: the original text says two jō, but compared with the Mizugaki of the middle shrine at two jō five shaku this is evidently an error, so it has been corrected here), seven shaku high. The Tamagaki is a double fence, five jō on one side and six jō on the other, each eight shaku high. There are two torii, inner and outer; the inner is nine shaku high and eight sun in diameter, and the outer is one jō high and nine sun in diameter. The Heiden (offering hall) is one building, three bays, roofed with cypress bark, eleven shaku high. The Haiden (worship hall) is one building, five bays, thatched. The Maidono (dance hall), one building, and the Naoraiya (feasting halls), two buildings, are all five bays and roofed with planks, each eight shaku high. There are two plank storehouses, thatched. There are two Moriya (food-preparation halls), each three bays and thatched. The left and right corridors are two buildings roofed with planks, each seven shaku high. The Gesha (outer buildings) are two buildings, each five bays and eight shaku high. The stables are two buildings, each five bays.

¶A middle shrine has four boundaries of eight chō. Its construction generally follows that of the great shrine. The main hall is one shaku lower. The Katsuogi are reduced by two, and their length is reduced by one shaku and their diameter by two sun. The Chigi are three shaku shorter. The Mizugaki is five shaku smaller on a side. The Tamagaki is a single fence three jō five shaku on a side. The inner and outer torii are each eight shaku high and seven sun in diameter. The Heiden is a plank-roofed building four shaku lower. The Haiden is a plank-roofed building of three bays. The number of bays of the Maidono is the same as at the great shrine. The Naoraiya are three bays, each one shaku lower. The Gesha are the same as at the great shrine. The rest is omitted.

¶A small shrine has four boundaries half those of the middle shrine. The main hall is reduced by one bay, roofed with planks, and three shaku lower. The Katsuogi are reduced by two. The Chigi are two shaku shorter. The Mizugaki is five shaku smaller on a side and two shaku lower. There is one torii, six shaku high and six sun in diameter. The Haiden is thatched. The Maidono is reduced by two bays. The miscellaneous buildings (Zassha) are two buildings, each five bays and seven shaku high. The rest is omitted.

¶The provincial governors were to repair the shrine buildings with the regular tax rice (Shōzei) and were not to be negligent. If damage occurred, the Shashi were to have it repaired, and those who violated this were to be charged with an offense requiring the Ōharae (Great Purification) and dismissed from their current offices. (Note: following the Zōden Gishiki and the Jingi Hongen.) In the seventh year of Hōki (776), because many shrines of the various circuits had fallen into neglect and defilement and the seasonal rites were often discontinued, an imperial order was issued to the provinces: "Sweep, repair, and purify. Assign one provincial governor exclusively to inspect them, and report their condition to the throne each year. Those who violate this shall without fail be punished for disobeying an imperial order." It was then further decreed: "If the Hafuri of the various shrines do not apply themselves to sweeping and repair and so damage and defile the shrines, their rank patents shall be taken away, and they shall be replaced and returned to their registers of origin." This was recorded and reported, and in the following year it was promulgated throughout the realm as a regular rule. (Note: following the Shoku Nihongi and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the twenty-third year of Enryaku (804), the Daijingūshi and others submitted a detailed written account of the system of the sacred halls, miscellaneous buildings, gates, and fences of the inner and outer shrines, compiled as a book of ritual procedure. (Note: following the Daijingū Gishikichō and the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō.) Subsequent rebuildings, with some minor differences, generally followed the old system without alteration. (Note: following the Engishiki.)

¶In the Daidō era, Inbe no Hironari memorialized the throne, saying: "In repairing and building a sacred hall, one ought to follow the duties handed down from the Age of the Gods. The Inbe officials lead the Inbe of the two districts of Miki and Araka, fell the trees with the sacred axe and dig the ground with the sacred spade, and only afterwards do the craftsmen lay their hands to the work. When construction is finished, the Inbe purify the halls, and after completing the gate festival the seat of the deity is installed. Yet now, in building the Ise shrines and the Yuki and Suki palaces for the Daijōsai, the Inbe have in no case been involved. This runs counter to the ancient rites." (Note: following the Kogo Shūi.) At the accession of Emperor Saga, an edict was issued: "We previously ordered the provinces to repair and build their shrines, but though years and months have passed, repairs have still not been carried out. Henceforth the chief official of each locality shall be exclusively responsible, shall labor at the repairs, and shall use the divine taxes (Jinzei) to meet the expense. For shrines without Fuko households, the regular tax rice shall be used." (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku.) In the second year of Kōnin (811), an edict was issued: "Among the common people of the Kanbe there are many who are liable for labor service, but they shall not be put to any public duty other than serving the deities. They shall give their labor to repair the shrines, mending damage as it occurs, and shall not allow them to fall into ruin. The provincial governors shall make an inspection tour every year. If there is negligence, they shall be charged with an offense requiring purification according to the circumstances." (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the following year a further edict was issued: "Shrines with Fuko households are built and repaired by the Kanbe, but for shrines without Fuko there is no one to repair them. Henceforth the Negi and Hafuri shall be made to mend them, to attend to small damage while it is small and not allow it to become great ruin. The provincial governors shall inspect frequently. If the Negi and Hafuri do not obey the order, all shall be dismissed; those with rank shall have their rank patents taken away, and unranked commoners (Hakutei) shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the staff. If a provincial governor is negligent in inspection and a shrine comes to be damaged, his Geyu (certificate of handover of duties) shall be withheld at the time of his replacement. However, if an extraordinary natural disaster has occurred and repairs cannot be made, it shall be reported to the throne for a decision." (Note: following the Nihon Kōki and the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) All of these were established as permanent rules. (Note: following the Engi Kōtai-shiki.) The Jingikan stated: "At the three shrines of Sumiyoshi, Katori, and Kashima, it has been the custom to rebuild everything entirely every twenty years, but the harm of this is not small. Henceforth, apart from the main hall, repairs should be made according to damage as a fixed rule." This was approved. (Note: following the Nihon Kōki.) In the eighth year of Kōnin (817), at the request of the governor of Ise, it was decided that the repair of ninety-three shrines in the two districts of Take and Watarai should be permanently entrusted to the Daijingūshi. (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the twelfth year (821), the provinces were made to repair and clean their shrines, because disasters had been frequent and the year's grain harvest was poor. (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi.) In the thirteenth year (822), Yamato Province stated: "The province has been repairing its shrines in accordance with the earlier order, but now, while shrines with Fuko households have the funds for it, shrines without Fuko households have no source of funds at all. Though officials inspect and press them, each tries to evade. Examining the circumstances, it is not wholly without reason. Having investigated the ancestral deities and their descendant deities, we find they are divided into main and branch lines: the ancestral deity is exalted and has Fuko households, but the descendant deities (Eishin) are of low standing and have none. We therefore request that the descendant deities without Fuko households be attached to the shrines of the ancestral deities that have them, and that the Kannushi with Fuko households be made to oversee the Hafuribe without them. In this way the shrines will be well served in repair and sweeping, and the province will be free from any sign of divine curse." This was approved, and later, on the petition of the Senkyakusho, this rule was sent down to the provinces and made a permanent standing rule. (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku and the Engi Kōtai-shiki.) In the first year of Tenchō (824), the Consultant Tachibana no Ason Tsunenushi stated: "According to the provisions of the Ryō, the rice tax, cloth tax, and labor-substitute tax of the Kanbe are to be used for the construction of the shrines and the provision of offerings to the deities, and in all cases the provincial governors are to inspect them and report them to the offices concerned. Yet in present practice everything is left entirely to the Kannushi, and no one asks what expenses are needed. The Kannushi arbitrarily embezzle the funds, frequently obstructing the rites, and the shrines only fall into decay with no desire to repair them. We request that henceforth everything be entrusted to the provincial governors. If there is any improper expenditure beyond the regular costs, the Geyu of that governor should be withheld." This was approved (Note: following the Jōgan Kōtai-shiki), and it was further established as a permanent precedent. (Note: following the Engi Kōtai-shiki.)

¶At the accession of Emperor Ninmyō, an edict was issued: "The provinces shall repair their shrines." In the fifth year of Jōwa (838), a further edict was issued: "Repair and maintain the shrines of the realm." In the seventh year (840), it was ordered: "The provincial governors of the Five Home Provinces and the Seven Circuits shall tour their territories and have the shrines repaired. Negi and Hafuri who are idle shall be dealt with according to the provisions of the Kyaku. What was repaired in that year shall be separately recorded and reported. If envoys are sent within three years to reinspect and any damage is found, the provincial and district governors shall be punished for disobeying an imperial order." (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki.) In the first year of Jōgan (859), an order was issued: "The chief officials of the provinces shall be exclusively responsible for the repair of shrines. The items repaired within the year shall be carried by the Chōshūshi and reported." (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.) In the fifth year (863), the Kageyushi stated: "It has been clearly fixed in a Kyaku that damage to shrines of medium degree or worse is to be repaired at the expense of the preceding provincial governor and reported to the government every year. Yet in the Geyu-jō now submitted from the provinces this is not recorded, and only many shrine damages are listed. When the Jingikan was therefore made to examine the items of damage, the Jingikan said: 'Even when the provinces submit shrine registers, the items are sometimes not specific, or the registers themselves are not submitted, so there is nothing to examine.' This stems directly from the fact that no one is held accountable. Now, when an office investigates a matter, documents and records are fundamental. If the registers are not examined, how can truth and falsehood be distinguished? The shrine registers should be collated by the Jingikan as a regular practice, following the Kyaku of the eleventh year of Kōnin. Then the provinces should be ordered to annotate the items in detail, and the registers should also be circulated to the Shikibushō and treated in the same way as the registers of official buildings." This was approved. (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.) In the sixth year (864), an edict was issued: "We previously ordered the Home Provinces and the Tōkaidō provinces to repair and adorn their shrines, but the provincial governors have made light of the imperial intention, leaving everything to the shrine officials alone, and though years and months have passed no repairs have been made at all. From now on, mend them promptly and on no account be negligent." In the eighth year (866), the Kashima Jingūshi stated: "The six precincts (In) of the main shrine are to be repaired and rebuilt once in twenty-six years. The timber used for this amounts to more than fifty thousand branches, the labor to more than 169,000 men, and the rice cost to more than 182,000 bundles. The mountain from which the timber is taken lies in Naka District, more than two hundred ri from the shrine; the road is steep and transport is very laborious. In general, chestnut wood is much used for building shrines, and this tree is easy to plant and quick to grow. We request to plant 5,700 chestnut trees and 40,000 cedars on the vacant land around the shrine, and to have the Jingūshi supervise and protect them." This was approved. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.)

¶In the fourth year of Genkei (880), by imperial order the system of rebuilding the Usa Shrine every thirty-three years was established. (Note: the Usa Takusenshū and the Hachiman Gudōkun were consulted.) In addition, the rebuilding of shrines such as Aso, Hakusan, and Iyahiko was to follow that of the Usa Shrine, and the Kamo-no-Mioya Shrine was to follow the Grand Shrine. (Note: following the Aso Engi, the Hakusan-ki, the Kamo Shikan Mōshijō, and the Razan Bunshū.) It is not clear, however, when this was fixed. In the sixth year of Genkei (882), an edict was issued: "Use more than 5,850 bundles of the divine taxes of Shimōsa Province for the construction costs of the miscellaneous buildings of the Katori Shrine." (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.) In the fifth year of Kanpyō (893), Takashina no Tadamine and others, clansmen of the Munakata Shrine in Yamato Province, stated: "It had formerly been the custom for this shrine to take as the cost of repair the annual tribute of the Shisen (servile dependents of a shrine) of the Munakata Shrine in Chikuzen Province, but with the passing of years this has long been discontinued. Following the Kyaku of the tenth year of Jōgan, the Fumotsu (endowment goods) of the ancestral deity should be requested and used for the cost of repairs. But the clansmen are suspicious and are slow to send the goods. Now the Shisen have multiplied and their kind has already become numerous. We request that sixteen of them be released as free commoners and made to pay the cloth and labor-substitute taxes, and that, further, laborers (Yōtei) from near the main shrine be used for the cost of repairs, and that this be made a permanent rule." This was approved. (Note: following the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku.)

¶In the fourth year of Enchō (926), a regulation was established: "The repair of shrines is set out in detail in the articles of the Kyaku. But with the passing of years the law has grown lax, small damage is left unrepaired, and in the end it becomes great ruin. This stems solely from waiting upon official repairs and being unwilling to add private labor. Henceforth, when official envoys are dispatched to carry out repairs, the Negi, Hafuri, and Shayo (shrine custodians) shall inspect together, request confirmation of their written report (Kanmon), and all add their signatures. Then, with a term of ten years, it shall be the standing rule that minor damage during that time is to be mended at once by the Negi, Hafuri, and Shayo." (Note: following the Seiji Yakuryaku and the Shinshō Kyakuchokufu.) In the fifth year of Enchō (927), the Shiki was established: "The rebuilding and repair of the Grand Shrine shall in all cases follow the former system. The shrines of the realm shall be repaired according to damage. However, for the three shrines of Sumiyoshi, Katori, and Kashima, the main halls shall be rebuilt every twenty years as in the old precedent. Divine taxes shall be used for the cost, and if there are no divine taxes, regular tax rice shall be applied. Within the four boundaries of a shrine, trees shall not be felled nor the dead buried." (Note: following the Engishiki.)

¶In the fifth year of Shōryaku (994), an edict was issued: "The miscellaneous buildings and other structures of the Kamo Shrine suffered in the wind disaster of Eiso, and Fujiwara no Sadanobu repaired them. In the second year of Shōryaku (991), Takashina no Sukenobu carried out further repairs. Last year too the shrine was damaged by a great wind, and Kawase no Munemitsu, a Sanjun Tokugōshō (student of the university), repaired it again. Although repairs have thus been made year after year, the damage is not slight. This is because the shrine officials rely on others' repairs and do not themselves strive to guard it. Moreover, the miscellaneous people of the villages do not fear the divine majesty and are fond of inflicting damage. Henceforth the shrine officials shall strictly strive to guard it, and there shall be no violations. If theft or destruction recurs, not caused by natural disaster, the shrine officials shall be made to repair and rebuild." (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō.)

¶In the first year of Chōhō (999), because provincial governors and shrine officials made light of the regulations and did not repair the shrines, thereby inviting decay, and some shrines had even fallen into desolate ruin, an imperial order restated and clarified the systems of Kōnin and Enchō and gave a stern warning. Those who did not obey the order were to be punished according to the law. (Note: following the Shinshō Kyakuchokufu.) In the fourth year of Chōhō (1002), an edict was issued: "The times have reached the degenerate age (Gyōki), the officials lack diligence, and shrines have finally been damaged and the rites left unperformed. Henceforth the provincial governors shall be exclusively responsible for inspection. Whether or not a shrine has Fuko households, all shall be repaired following the earlier Kyaku. If there are any who are negligent and do not uphold the law, they too shall without fail be punished on the basis of the Kyaku. Indeed, the fault of insulting and neglecting divine affairs lies with the shrine officials, but the responsibility for making light of the court's regulations falls on the provincial governors. Henceforth the offices concerned shall have the written reports on achievements (Kōka no Kanmon) record the former damage and the state of new repairs, so as to make clear diligence and negligence and to apply rewards and punishments." In the fifth year of Chōhō (1003), Ōnakatomi no Nobushige, Assistant of the Nuidono, petitioned: "Having respectfully examined precedent, I find that those who have repaired shrines with their own funds have invariably, by custom, obtained good official posts. Now I have seen that the inner and outer precincts of the Grand Shrine have collapsed in a great wind. I, Nobushige, ask to be permitted to repair and rebuild them. In recognition of this service I request to be transferred to the post of Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Popular Affairs (Minbu no Jō)." By imperial order, "his request is granted on condition that he also carry out repairs to the two shrines of Tsukuyomi-no-Miya and Izanagi-no-Miya." (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō.) In fact, since the Tenryaku era the court, short of state funds, had finally opened the way to the sale of offices through Jōgō (the granting of office in return for services paid for with private funds), and used it to meet expenses. (Note: following the Honchō Monzui and the Shōyūki.) Thus the shrines of the realm, too, came largely to recruit Jōgō for their construction. (Note: following the Ruijū Fusenshō, the Chōya Gunsai, the Geki Nikki, and the Itsukushima Shrine documents.)

¶In later ages, for something like the rebuilding of the Grand Shrine, Yakubuku rice (rice levied for the labor of construction) came to be collected from the whole realm each time and used for the construction. (Note: following the Kashima Shrine documents, the Yoshida Shrine documents, the Tōdai-ji documents, the Tō-ji documents, the Daigo-ji Zōjiki, the Chūyūki, and the Shōdan Chiyō.) For the Izumo Taisha, it became the custom to issue an imperial decree (Senji) at each repair and to have the whole estates of the province bear the levy, regardless of whether they were the holdings of shrines, Buddhist temples, powerful families, or influential houses. (Note: following the Kitsuki Shrine documents.)

¶In the first year of Eichō (1096), an edict was issued: "The shrines of the realm should be repaired and rebuilt in accordance with the earlier Kyaku. But since recent years the damage has been especially great. This is because the provincial governors neglect supervision and the shrine officials freely indulge in negligence. As for the shrines of the Home Provinces, envoys shall be dispatched to record the state of their complete ruin. As for the great Jinpō shrines (shrines receiving the great sacred treasures) of the Seven Circuits, the provincial governors shall repair them promptly. However, within one hundred days of the arrival of the official order, the diligence or negligence shown shall be recorded and reported. If there are any who do not act according to the law, they shall without fail be given a grave penalty."

¶In the second year of Kōwa (1100), the Jingikan stated: "The repair of shrines is set out in detail in the articles of the Kyaku. Even without the issuing of an imperial decree, they should be repaired and rebuilt according to the law. But now we hear that the large and small shrines of the distant provinces are very heavily damaged and are almost on the point of extinction, and this is the cause of divine rites departing from precedent. We request that, following the precedent of the Home Provinces, an imperial decree be issued and envoys dispatched to have them repaired. If any do not obey the order, their names will be recorded and reported." The following year this was permitted. In the fourth year of Kōwa (1102), it further stated: "In accordance with last year's decree, envoys were sent to the distant provinces to inspect the shrines, and shrines that were damaged accounted for nine in ten. But as soon as the decree was issued, people became wary and fearful. Among the provincial officials, some submitted documents requesting repairs, and the shrine officials too submitted petitions (Gejō), and they are now beginning repairs one after another. If this is extended to the other circuits, it will surely be the same everywhere. We request that the provinces of the Nankaidō too be inspected on the spot following this precedent." The following year it was granted. (Note: following the Chōya Gunsai.)

¶In the first year of Hōen (1135), Fujiwara no Atsumitsu, Senior Assistant Minister of the Shikibushō, submitted a memorial saying: "Among the large and small shrines in the provinces, some, though damaged, receive no repairs, and some have collapsed so that not even traces of their foundations remain. That the shrine officials do not strive to repair them is precisely why wind and flood and famine disasters are invited year after year." (Note: following the Zoku Honchō Monzui.)

¶In the second year of Hōgen (1157), a regulation was established: "The repair of shrines is recorded in the articles of the Kyaku, and they are to be repaired each time according to damage, and not allowed to fall into great ruin. But the shrine officials idly covet the profits of the divine estates and pay no heed to the damage to the shrine buildings (Shiu). Only after they have fallen into decay do they report it to the throne and apply for rebuilding on the basis of special merit. Judged by the court's regulations, this is not proper. The shrine officials should be made to strive at repairs. If any are negligent, they shall be dismissed from their current posts. However, where a building is so badly ruined that it cannot be mended, the circumstances shall be recorded and reported." In the second year of Jishō (1178), this regulation was restated and clarified. (Note: following the Mibu Kanmu Komonjo.) In this year the Kasuga Shrine was repaired. A monk of Kōfuku-ji asked that the Mizugaki be removed and replaced with a roofed corridor, but the shrine officials opposed this. In the court's deliberation, divination was made to determine whether it would be auspicious or inauspicious, and it came out inauspicious. But the monks argued, "In repairing a shrine, why must one ask about auspiciousness?" and the court finally yielded. (Note: following the Hyakurenshō.) It seems that the roofed corridor is something built at Buddhist temples and is not the original form of a shrine. But at the major shrines of that time, corridors and tower gates were often built, and the ancient system gradually changed. (Note: following the Hyakurenshō, the Gyokukai, the Itsukushima Shrine documents, the Yoshida Shrine documents, and the Tendai Zasuki.)

¶At the accession of Emperor Go-Toba, Minamoto no Yoritomo submitted a memorial saying: "For shrines in the provinces that are damaged or collapsed, Jōgō should be recruited according to the scale of the work, and those who finish the repairs should be granted official rank." But the court did not follow this. In the second year of Bunji (1186), Yoritomo petitioned again: "Shrines should be repaired; first, please give the order to the Shugo of the Tōkaidō provinces." The state of damage of the shrines of Kazusa Province was recorded, and Miyoshi no Yasunobu, Fujiwara no Toshikane, and others were made to oversee the matter. But the court was at that time treating the repair of Buddhist temples as urgent, and by imperial order said: "The repair of shrines has already been entrusted to the provincial governors. Have the repair of the various temples carried out promptly." Earlier than this, Fujiwara no Chikamitsu, when he was Governor of Tsushima, had during his term repaired more than sixty treasure halls of the Hachiman Shrine and the other shrines below it, and had also procured the various utensils for the offerings to the deity of the Hachiman Shrine, the cost amounting, converted into Ei (heads of rice), to more than thirty thousand Hiki. At this time Yoritomo praised his merit and petitioned that, following precedent, he be granted reappointment.

¶In the third year of Kenkyū (1192), the Kashima Shrine was rebuilt. Yoritomo made Taki no Yoshimoto and others the Zōgū Bugyō (commissioners of shrine construction). Because the work dragged on into the following spring, Yoritomo was concerned, dispatched Hatta no Tomoie to supervise the work, and had it completed before the festival day in the seventh month. (Note: following the Azuma Kagami.) After this, whenever a provincial governor was newly appointed, it became the custom that he would always repair and rebuild the main shrine. However, where the previous governor had completed the rebuilding but the ceremony of transferring the deity (Senkū) had not yet been performed, the following governor, even after taking up his post, did not carry out a rebuilding. (Note: following the Meigetsuki.)

¶In the second year of Kenryaku (1212), an edict was issued: "The system of shrine repair is recorded in the articles of the Kyaku. But the shrine officials idly covet the divine estates and, ignoring damage, allow great ruin to come. For them to petition for rebuilding on the basis of special merit is, when judged against the way of government, almost a violation of the statutes. The shrine officials should always be made to strive at rebuilding, and those who violate this shall be dismissed from their current posts and the posts given anew to those of merit. If the estates of the shrine are very small and there is no means to carry out repairs, the state of damage shall be recorded and reported, and repair shall be imposed by means of special merit." (Note: following the Gyokuzui.)

¶In the first year of Kōchō (1261), the Kamakura shogunate, on the ground that the shrine officials of shrines with Fuko households in the provinces under its control only coveted the divine estates and did not strive to repair them, upheld the earlier regulations and admonished the shrine officials. (Note: following the Azuma Kagami.)

¶In the first year of Gen'ō (1319), Retired Emperor Go-Uda ordered the Kugyō by edict to "deliberate on the revival of the divine rites." Fujiwara no Nobufusa reported to the throne on the repair of the Grand Shrine and the shrines below it. (Note: following the Man'ichi-ki.) But this merely preserved an old precedent and served as material for the ceremony of the first state business after accession, and in fact nothing of it was carried out. Soon, with the turmoil of the Northern and Southern Courts, the court's institutions were all abolished. Yet among the warriors of the provinces and districts, those who valued courage and righteousness often revered the deities of heaven and earth and prayed for their protection, or donated divine estates, or repaired shrine buildings, and this had largely become the custom. That the old shrines have survived to this day probably depended in part on the strength of such warriors. (Note: following the Azuma Kagami, the Genpei Jōsuiki, and the Taiheiki.) However, once improper shrines (Inshi) arose in great numbers, the shrines too gradually lost the ancient system. In later ages their construction was altered more and more. Among the great shrines with Fuko households that had the means to repair them, and those revered by powerful and influential families, there were some that painted the ridgepoles, carved the pillars, adorned them with red and blue-green colors, and strove only to dazzle the eye; all of these imitated the style of adornment of Buddhist temples, and for the most part are not worth recording. (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki, the Katori Myōjin Sairei-zu, and the Usa-gū-zu.)

¶Now, on the basis of the Shiki of the Enryaku era, we record the system of the two Ise shrines. As for the Kitsuki Taisha (Izumo Taisha), it of course cannot be compared with ordinary shrines. But since there are no ancient books by which its system can be examined, we shall for the time being give an outline based on what exists. Something like the Daijōgū (the palace for the Great Thanksgiving Rite) cannot be said to have undergone no change over the ages, yet there must surely be parts that preserve the old form. We therefore record it as well. From this the system of earlier ages, too, can be roughly glimpsed.

¶On the halls of the Ise Daijingū. The Grand Shrine consists of some nineteen precincts. The Ōmiya-in (Great Shrine Precinct) is the inner precinct; one main hall stands at its center facing south. This is where the seat of the deity is. It is three jō six shaku long, one jō eight shaku wide, and one jō one shaku high. The roof is thatched, and ten Katsuogi are set above, each seven shaku long and one shaku seven sun in diameter. At the two ends of the roof stand two Hiki (Chigi) each, each two jō eight shaku long, eight sun wide, and half that in thickness. There is one stairway, six shaku long and five shaku wide, with railings on both sides, to which are attached six jeweled and gold flower-shaped ornaments on each. The four sides of the hall are surrounded by a high railing three shaku high and two shaku five sun wide, which also bears eighteen jeweled and gold flower-shaped ornaments on each side. In general all the ends of the timbers are fitted with gold ornaments. Within the hall, somewhat north of center, the Miyuka (august couch) is placed, with pillars set at the four corners and a ceiling stretched, curtains hung, and the Mifunashiro (sacred vessel) enshrined within. Before it, to east and west, facing each other, the Haikyō Shinshō (couches of the accompanying deities) are set up, and on them the vessels are enshrined. The Miyuka faces south, the seats of the accompanying deities face north, and the sacred treasures are arranged at the four corners of the hall. (Note: the description from "within the hall" onward follows the diagram of the interior of the Inner Shrine of the fourth year of Einin, and the Shōchū Mikazari-ki and the Jōwa Mikazari-ki were also consulted.) Behind the main hall, to east and west, one treasure hall (Hōden; Note: also called Takara-dono or Heihaku-den) is built on each side. Each is two jō one shaku long and one jō four shaku wide, roofed entirely with thatch, with four Chigi set up and eight Katsuogi placed. The east treasure hall stores the offerings presented at regular and extraordinary times, and the west treasure hall stores the sacred treasures from ancient times. (Note: from "the east treasure" onward follows the Sankaiki and the Hyōhanki.) The outside is surrounded by a single Mizugaki forty-nine jō in circumference and one jō high. On its three southern sides a further single Tamagaki gate is set, fourteen jō long. Outside this are further ranged two inner and outer Tamagaki and one plank fence (Itagaki); the first is sixty jō in circumference, the next one hundred and two jō, and the plank fence one hundred and thirty-eight jō six shaku, and in each fence one gate is set on the south and one on the north. Of the south gates, the first is called the Mizugaki Gate, with a thatched roof, one jō five shaku long, one jō wide, and one jō high. The second is called the Bangaki Gate (Note: also called Ban-mon), with no roof, one jō three shaku long and nine shaku high. The third is the Tamagushi Gate (or Inner Tamagaki Gate), and the fourth is the Tamagaki Gate (or Outer Tamagaki Gate); the construction of both is the same as that of the Mizugaki Gate. The fifth is called the Itagaki Gate (Note: also called Aragaki Gate). In addition, on the west side of the outer Tamagaki and the plank fence there is one gate each, built in each case on the pattern of the Bangaki Gate. The gates on the north side are all likewise. Inside the Tamagaki Gate, on the east, the Saiō Jiden (Note: also called Saiō Sōrai-den, or Miko Shukuya, or Miko-den), one building, is set, four jō long, one jō six shaku wide, and one jō high. To its north a single Bangaki is set, three jō long. On the west, the Nyoju Jiden (Note: also called Maihime Sōrai-den), one building, is set, four jō long, one jō seven shaku wide, and one jō one shaku high. Within the precinct four Shukuei-oku (guard lodges) are further placed, each two jō long, where the Negi and Uchindo take turns keeping night watch.

¶The various precincts outside the plank fence are collectively called the outer precincts. The Heiden-in (Offering Hall Precinct) is surrounded by a single Tamagaki sixteen jō two shaku long. Within it stands one hall, called the Outer Heiden (Note: also called Ge-Heihaku-den). It is one jō five shaku long, one jō two shaku wide, and eight shaku high. The offerings of the Crown Prince's household and the Empress's household, the offerings of the post-station envoys of the Tōkaidō, and the miscellaneous goods of the Nosaki (first-fruits tribute) sent by the provinces are stored here. The Mikura-in (Storehouse Precinct) has four storehouses: one is called the Mishine-no-Mikura, which stores the rice and other items for the Mike (food offerings) of the Three Seasonal Festivals (Sansetsusai). One is called the Tsuki-no-Mikura (Note: also called Yō-no-Mikura), which stores the thread paid as the cloth tax and the government seal of the Grand Shrine. One is the Shio-no-Mikura (Note: also called Miutsuwa-no-Mikura). One is called the Shikimono-no-Mikura, which stores the keys of the main hall, the treasure halls, and the Aramatsuri-no-Miya, and also the mats, tatami, and Bōryō blinds that serve as materials for the furnishings and robes of the palace. (Note: from "Mishine" onward follows the Hyōhanki.) These are all one jō eight shaku long, one jō five shaku wide, and one jō high, with four Katsuogi set on the roof of each, surrounded by a Tamagaki thirty-eight jō in length. The Mikoshi Shukuden (palanquin lodge), one building, is three jō long, one jō four shaku wide, and nine shaku high. The Miumaya (stable), one building, is four jō long, two jō wide, and nine shaku high. One boat is three jō long and three shaku wide. The Naorai-in (Feasting Precinct) is surrounded by a single Bōōri fence sixty jō long, with a gate one jō three shaku long and nine shaku high. Within it are three halls, called the Gesai-den (halls of release from purification). One is called the Kujō-den, one building, ten jō long, two jō wide, and one jō one shaku high. One is called the Gojō-den (Note: also called the First Hall), one building, five jō four shaku long, with width and height as above. One is called the Shijō-den (Note: also called the Shushinshi-den), one building, four jō long, one jō six shaku wide, and nine shaku high. All are roofed with cypress bark.

¶After the divine rites are over, the officials in attendance dine together here. The Saiō Gozen-in (Precinct of the Saiō's Meals) is surrounded by a single Bōōri fence twenty-four jō long, and within it are four buildings, each two jō long, one jō wide, and eight shaku high. The Misakadono-in (Sake Hall Precinct) is surrounded by a single Bōōri fence thirty-four jō long (Note: one account gives forty-four jō). Within it is one Sakadono (sake hall), four jō long, one jō seven shaku wide, and eight shaku high, with a Hisashi (eave extension) on one side. There is a Mushochō (office), three jō long, one jō seven shaku wide, and one jō high. There are two storehouses, each one jō eight shaku long, one jō five shaku wide, and one jō high. There is one Moridono, five jō long, one jō seven shaku wide, and eight shaku high. There is one Ōiya (great kitchen), two jō long, one jō wide, and seven shaku high.

¶The Saiō Kawaradono-in (Precinct of the Saiō's Riverside Hall) is surrounded by a single Bōōri fence forty jō long. Within it four halls are set. The main hall, one building, is four jō long, one jō seven shaku wide, and one jō high, covered with cypress bark. The Mishōzoku Shukuden (lodge for the august robes) and the Mikoshi Shukuden are one building each, both two jō long, one jō wide, and eight shaku high. The Mikawayadono (privy), one building, is one jō long, eight shaku wide, and seven shaku high. The Gozen Shukuin (Meal Lodging Precinct) is surrounded by a single Bōōri fence fifteen jō long. Within it are two buildings, each two jō long, one jō wide, and eight shaku high. The Naorai-in has a single Bōōri fence to the north, sixty-three jō long (Note: since the Naorai-den precinct has already been described above, this entry is probably a spurious interpolation).

¶The Negi Saikan-in (Purification Lodge Precinct of the Negi) is surrounded by a single Bōōri fence fifty jō long. Within it is one Saiden (purification hall), two jō long, one jō wide, and eight shaku high. There are two Kashigiya (cooking houses), one called the Imibi-no-Kashigiya (house for the pure fire) and the other the Ōiya. Each is one jō five shaku long, with width and height as above. There is one storehouse, one jō eight shaku long, one jō five shaku wide, and one jō high. There is one Kuriya (kitchen), two jō long, one jō wide, and eight shaku high. There is one stable, two jō long, one jō five shaku wide, and one jō high.

¶The Uji no Ōuchindo Saikan-in (Purification Lodge Precinct of the Senior Uchindo of Uji) is surrounded by a single Bōōri fence thirty jō long. Within it are one Saiden and one Imibi-no-Kashigiya, both two jō long, nine shaku wide, and eight shaku high. There is one Kuriyaya (kitchen building), three jō long, one jō wide, and eight shaku high.

¶The Ōuchindo Sannin Shukukan Niin (Two Precincts of Lodgings for the Three Senior Uchindo) is surrounded by a single Bōōri fence forty jō long. Within it are two Saijioku (attendants' lodges), each four jō long, one jō six shaku wide, and eight shaku five sun high. There are two Kuriya Ōiya (kitchen-great kitchens), each three jō long, one jō two shaku wide, and eight shaku high.

¶The five precincts of lodgings for the Monoimi (shrine child-attendants) and the Ko-Uchindo (junior Uchindo) are surrounded by a single Bōōri fence seventy-five jō long, and within them are twenty-two buildings.

¶The Ōmonoimi Saikan (Note: also called Kora-no-Tachi), one building, is two jō long, nine shaku wide, and eight shaku high. There are an Imibi-no-Kashigiya, a Kuriyaya, and an Ōiya, each one building, with the same dimensions as above.

¶The purification lodge buildings of the Miyamori, Jisai, and Aramatsuri Monoimi are one building each, each accompanied by one Imibi-no-Kashigiya, and the dimensions again follow those above.

¶The purification lodges where the various Monoimi and Ko-Uchindo regularly stay number twelve buildings. Of these, five are each three jō long, one jō two shaku wide, and eight shaku high. The remaining seven are two shaku narrower in width and otherwise the same as above. (Note: following the Daijingū Gishikichō; the Engishiki, the Shinnin Benkanshō, and the Naigū Kōtei-zu were also consulted.)

¶The Watarai Shrine (the Outer Shrine) consists of some six precincts. The Ōmiya-in is the inner precinct. One main hall stands at its center facing south. This is where the seat of the deity is. It is three jō long, one jō six shaku wide, and one jō high. The roof is covered with thatch, Chigi are set up, and Katsuogi are placed. There is one stairway, with railings on both sides. The four sides of the hall are likewise surrounded by a high railing, to which are attached eighteen jeweled and gold flower-shaped ornaments on each side. The furnishings within the hall follow those of the Grand Shrine (Inner Shrine). (Note: from "within the hall" onward follows the Jōwa Mikazari-ki, the Shōchū Mikazari-ki, and the diagram of the interior of the Outer Shrine of the sixth year of Eiroku.) Before the main hall, to east and west, are treasure halls, each one jō six shaku long, one jō two shaku wide, and one jō high, with thatched roofs, Chigi set up, and Katsuogi placed. Outside is ranged a single Mizugaki fifty jō long and one jō high. Outside it are further ranged two Tamagaki and one plank fence, the first sixty-two jō long, the next ninety-six jō, and the next one hundred and sixteen jō, all one jō high. In each fence one gate is set on the south and one on the north. The first south gate is the Mizugaki Gate, the second the Inner Tamagaki Gate, the third the Outer Tamagaki Gate, and the fourth the Itagaki Gate (Note: also called Aragaki Gate), each two jō long, one jō wide, and one jō high. There is also a small gate outside the Inner Tamagaki Gate. On the east the Saiō Jiden is set, and on the west the Nyoju Jiden (Note: also called Maihime Sōrai-den), both four jō long, with width and height each reduced by half in turn. The Mikeden (hall of food offerings), one building, is one jō in length, width, and height. The Heihaku-den, one building, is one jō in length and height and one jō two shaku wide. The three Tonoiya (night-watch lodges) are each one jō four shaku long, eight shaku wide, and six shaku high, all within the precinct.

¶The various precincts outside the plank fence are called the outer precincts. The Mikura-in has three storehouses: one stores the keys of the main hall and treasure halls, one stores the Kakechikara (hung-up rice offering) and the cut rice of the sacred rice field (Mita), and one stores furnishings (Shikimono). Each is one jō six shaku long, one jō four shaku wide, and one jō high, and they are surrounded by a single Tamagaki thirty jō long and one jō high. The Mikoshi Todomedono (palanquin resting hall), one building, is three jō five shaku long (Note: one account gives four shaku in place of five shaku), one jō five shaku wide (Note: one account gives six shaku in place of five shaku), and one jō high. The Miumaya, one building, is three jō five shaku long, one jō six shaku wide, and one jō high. The Naorai-sho-in (Feasting Place Precinct) has two Gojō-den. One is four jō long, one jō six shaku wide, and one jō high. The other is six jō long, two jō wide, and one jō high. The Kujō-den, one building, is two jō wide and one jō high. There is a gate called the Naorai Gate, one jō two shaku long and one jō in width and height. (Note: the length of the Kujō-den and the entry for the Tamagaki are both missing.)

¶The Saiō Gozen-in is surrounded by a single plank fence eight jō long and eight shaku high. Within it is set one Gozen-den (hall of meals), two jō long. The Mikashigi-dono (cooking hall), one building, is one jō eight shaku long, both being one jō two shaku wide and eight shaku high. The Misakadono-in is surrounded by a single Bōōri fence thirty-five jō long. Within it is one Misakadono, two jō five shaku long, one jō six shaku wide, and nine shaku high. There is one Mushochō, three jō five shaku long, one jō six shaku wide, and one jō high. There is one Moridono, three jō long, one jō six shaku wide, and nine shaku high. There is one Negi Saiden, three jō long, one jō six shaku wide, and nine shaku high. There is one Imibi-no-Kashigiya, one jō six shaku long, one jō two shaku wide, and eight shaku high. There is one Matsuri Ōiya (great kitchen for the festivals), three jō five shaku long, one jō six shaku wide, and nine shaku high. There are two storehouses, one storing the Miki (sacred sake) and Mini-e (food offerings) and so on, and one storing miscellaneous vessels and rice, salt, and so on. Each is one jō six shaku long, one jō four shaku wide, and one jō high. There is one Kuriyaya, three jō long, one jō six shaku wide, and eight shaku high.

¶The Saikan-in (Purification Lodge Precinct) is surrounded by a single Bōōri fence (Note: one text gives fifteen jō in length, but this is probably an error. Considering that nineteen halls and one storehouse stand in a row within the Saikan-in, it is clear that the fence around it cannot be only fifteen jō. We have therefore left the figure unrecorded for the time being, awaiting later examination). Within it is one Mikeden, two jō two shaku long, one jō two shaku wide, and eight shaku high. There are eight lodging buildings in all for the Ōuchindo, Monoimi, and others, each two jō long, one jō two shaku wide, and eight shaku high. There are five Imibi-no-Kashigiya, each one jō six shaku long, one jō wide, and eight shaku high. There are five lodging buildings for the Monoimi-no-Chichi (fathers of the Monoimi), Ko-Uchindo, and others, each two jō long, one jō wide, and eight shaku high. There is one storehouse storing wooden vessels, one jō six shaku long, one jō four shaku wide, and one jō high. The above six precincts are in all surrounded by a Bōōri fence of more than two hundred and seventy jō. Outside it are two Bashū stables (horse-gathering stables), each four jō long, two jō wide, and eight shaku high. There is one Heihaku Uma-kakushi stable (stable for sheltering the horses for the offerings), two jō long, one jō two shaku wide, and seven shaku high. (Note: following the Toyuke-gū Gishikichō; the Engishiki, the Shinnin Benkanshō, and the Gekū Kōtei-zu were also consulted.) In later ages there were some additions, subtractions, and changes to the halls and buildings (Note: following the Chūyūki, the Hyōhanki, the Ruijū Taibunin, and the Shinnin Benkanshō), as was also the case with the Inner Shrine.

¶Outside the inner and outer precincts a further Chūin (middle precinct) was established. The Mikoshi Shukuden, the Miumaya, and the like are within it. The Outer Heiden and the Mikura were also moved into the inner precinct. The lodgings of the Negi, Uchindo, and others increased to more than sixty buildings. (Note: following the Hyōhanki.) It is said that the Outer Shrine, imitating the Inner Shrine, enlarged its scale more and more. (Note: following the Ruijū Taibunin and the Shinnin Benkanshō.)

¶The Kitsuki Taisha is the so-called Ame-no-Hisumi-no-Miya. In remote antiquity the heavenly deity commanded Ame-no-Mitori-no-Mikoto and others by edict to build it and bestowed it upon Ōnamuchi-no-Mikoto. (Note: following the Nihon Shoki; the Izumo Fudoki was also consulted.) Its construction is said to have been modeled wholly on the palace of the Imperial Grandchild. (Note: following the Kojiki.) According to tradition, the main hall of high antiquity was thirty-two jō in height, but in the middle ages it was reduced to half that. (Note: following the tradition of the shrine officials.)

¶Under the system of later ages, one main hall stands within the Mizugaki, facing south, six bays square and eight jō high. Within it a great floor (Ōyuka) is set, nine bays square and one jō two shaku high, surrounded by a high railing. There is one stairway, with railings on both sides as well. At the north and south ends of the roof, two Chigi are set up at each, with Katsuogi placed between them, and at the front a Hisashi is provided to cover the stairway. Within the hall nine pillars stand, and the one in the center is called the Iwane-bashira (rock-root pillar). In its northeast corner an inner hall (Naiden) is further built, facing west, six shaku square, with a veranda and a high railing, and roofed with cypress bark. This is the very place where the seat of the deity is set. East of the inner hall the sacred treasures are arranged, and to the northwest the Kyakuza (guest seats) are set. They are one jō five shaku long and one shaku five sun wide, partitioned into five shrines. They have a veranda and a high railing and are roofed with cypress bark. The Mizugaki is a single fence, twenty-three bays long on east and west, nineteen bays on the north, and on the south it bends inward, with a tower gate (Rōmon) set in its center. To its east and west there is one Kusaisho (offering-preparation hall) each, and outside it a roofed corridor and a single plank fence are further ranged, bending again on the south side.

¶At the center is the Yatsuashi-mon (eight-legged gate), and inside the gate the Kansai-rō (festival-viewing tower) and five Massha (auxiliary shrines) are set. Outside the gate, directly in front, is the Haiden, within which the Kagura-sho (sacred dance hall) is placed. In front of the Haiden, on the east are the Kaisho (meeting hall) and the Bugaku-dai (platform for court dance and music), and on the west are the Chōsha (office building) and the Hitakiya (fire-burning house), and in addition a treasury and several Massha are scattered here and there. Further outside is surrounded by a single Aragaki, in which seven gates are opened, and on the south side one torii is set. Such is the outline. East and west of the Aragaki, across rivers, there are the Kokuzō-kan (residences of the Kuni-no-Miyatsuko): the east is the residence of the Kitajima family, and the west that of the Senge family. (Note: following the Kitsuki Taisha-ki, the Taisha Kanawa Zōei-zu, and the Taisha Denshazu.)

¶On the Daijōgū (the palace for the Great Thanksgiving Rite). The system of earlier ages cannot be examined. It was first set down in the regulations in the Jōgan era. Afterwards there were some additions and subtractions, but we record them together here to show the main outline. The place where its halls stand is collectively called the Daijō-in (Precinct of the Great Thanksgiving). It is set up in the courtyard before the Ryūbidō (Dragon-Tail Way) within the Chōdōin (Hall of State precinct). The precinct is twenty-one jō four shaku east to west and fifteen jō north to south, enclosed by a brushwood fence and divided into two precincts. The east is called the Yuki-in and the west the Suki-in. The Yuki-in has gates opened on the north and south, one jō two shaku in both height and width, with doors of Shimoto (twigs), and inside a screen-fence (Heiri) is planted, two jō long. A gate is also opened slightly north of due east, of the same construction as above, with a screen-fence planted outside, two jō five shaku long. The fence that separates the Yuki-in and the Suki-in is called the Nakamagaki (middle fence). As to the passage at its southern end, the fence south of the path is one jō long and the fence north of the path is nine jō long. About one jō five shaku east of the middle fence stands the Yuki Nakagaki (Yuki inner fence). At its north and south ends a small gate is opened, each three jō from the north and south palace fences. Between its north and south gates is the inner fence, and south of it one main hall is set lengthwise. It is about five bays, four jō long and one jō six shaku wide, with pillars one jō high, rafters (Taruki) four shaku high, and eaves one jō three shaku long, covered above with Kadono mats. The northern three bays form the chamber (Shitsu), with a door opened on the south face and a Shitomi mat as the door. The southern two bays form the hall (Dō), built of Kuroki (bark-covered logs) and thatched with green grass. Above it a lattice-like frame (Machigata) is made of Kuroki and tied with black vines (Kurotsuzura). On the ridge eight Katsuogi of five shaku are placed, barge-boards (Hafu) are fitted, the ceiling is of cypress poles tied with black vines, and Komachi mats serve as the ceiling cover (Ukechiri). The wall shutters are of grass, with Ise-no-Madara mats on the outside and Komachi mats on the inside. On the ground bundled grass (Tsukakusa) is spread, and Harima-no-Su (Harima bamboo screens) are added above it. Above the screens in the chamber, mats are added, a Shirahata Ontatami (white-edged august mat) is added above the mats, a Sakamakura (slope pillow) is placed on the mat, and a cloth curtain is hung at the door. The east, south, and west sides of the hall are all of reed blinds on the outside and Muroshōji (mat screens) on the inside.

¶Southeast of the main hall, one Mikawaya (privy) is set crosswise. It is one jō long, eight shaku wide, and seven shaku high, with a door on the west face. The walls and doors and so on are constructed in the same way as the main hall. About six shaku north of the inner fence, one Kashiwadeya (kitchen) is set crosswise. It is about five bays, and its construction too is the same as the main hall. The eastern three bays are shuttered with brushwood and lined with Kadono mats on the inside. Under the west and east walls, Shimoto shelves are made, two shaku high. The western two bays form the Moridokoro (serving place; Note: the Engishiki gives "Moridokoro of the food"). Its southwest bays are all shuttered with mats and brushwood. About six shaku south of the north fence, one Usuya (mortar house) of two bays is set crosswise. It is about three bays, one jō six shaku long and one jō wide, facing the eastern end of the Moridono. South of it the Kanhatori Kashiwadana (Note: the original text has "west" in place of "south", but this is probably an error and has been corrected) is set lengthwise. On the left and right there are four pillars each, one jō five shaku long, five shaku wide, and four shaku high.

¶The Suki-in is in all respects, in construction and furnishings, modeled on the Yuki-in. However, the gatehouse on the east is moved and set up on the west so as to face the Yuki-in. North of the Daijō-in the Kairyūden (Hall of Waiting) is set crosswise. It is about five bays, four jō long and one jō six shaku wide, built of Kuroki, roofed with planks, with Toma (rush matting) laid over them and mats as the ceiling cover. The western three bays are shuttered with mats. A door is opened on the southeast. When the Emperor enters the Daijōgū, he first bathes and changes his robes here, and only then enters. (Note: following the Jōgan Gishiki.)

¶Under the Engi system, apart from the Kanhatori Kashiwadana, the inner fence was abolished, and fences were planted southwest of the Kashiwadeya and Usuya to make a separate precinct. The gate dimensions were reduced to nine shaku in height and eight shaku in width. (Note: following the Engishiki.) In the Chōwa period they were reduced further to seven shaku in height and six shaku in width. (Note: following the Chōwa Daijōe-ki.) Apart from the Daijōgū itself, in the Saigun (districts for the purification) of Yuki and Suki, a purification ground (Saijō) was in each case determined by divination and a purification precinct (Saiin) established. In the capital, too, a purification ground was determined by divination at Kitano, and an inner precinct, an outer precinct, and a Kanhatori precinct were set up. All of these were established to serve the rites.

¶The Saigun Saiin (purification precinct of the Saigun) is sixteen jō square, enclosed by a brushwood fence four shaku high bound with Shimoto. Sakaki branches are inserted at the joints and the four corners. In the center of the east fence a gate is set, eight shaku high and one jō wide, with doors of woven reed twigs. About two jō inside the gate, one Shisei-sho-ya (envoys' administrative office) is set lengthwise. It is two jō four shaku long and one jō two shaku wide, about three bays, with a door opened on the east face. North of it one Nukiho-no-Tsukai Shukuoku (lodge for the envoy of the rice-cutting) is set crosswise. It is two jō four shaku long and one jō two shaku wide, about five bays, with a door on the south face. The eastern three bays are the lodging of the Inami Urabe (diviners of the rice crop), and the western two bays are the lodging of the Negi and Urabe. West of it one building of five bays is built crosswise, with length and width as above. A door is opened on the south, with reed doors. The eastern three bays are the lodging of the Mononobe men, and the western two bays are the lodging of the Inami-no-Kimi. West of it one lodging for the Mikitsukuri-no-Warawame (girl who brews the sake) is set crosswise. It is about three bays, two jō long and one jō two shaku wide, with doors as above. Somewhat west of south of it the Hasshinden (Hall of the Eight Deities) is set lengthwise. It is about eight bays, two jō four shaku long and seven shaku eight sun wide, with pillars eight shaku high, facing the Shisei-sho-ya east to west, with a single-sided eave. Inside it a bamboo shelf is placed, four shaku high, on which a mat is laid to serve as the seat of the deities. A door is opened on the east and a reed blind hung. This is the place where the eight deities, beginning with Mitoshi-no-Kami, are worshipped. Somewhat east of south of it one Takakaya-no-Mikura (high-thatch storehouse) is set. It is one jō square, with a door on the north and reed doors. Inside, a bamboo shelf is made, on which Komo (rush mats) are laid and the Mishine (sacred rice) is enshrined. East of it the Inami-dono, one building, is placed crosswise. It is two jō four shaku long and one jō two shaku wide, about three bays, with a door on the north face, using green grass. East of it, one lodging for the Mononobe women and others is further placed crosswise. Its construction is as above, but with reed doors. In general, all the buildings are built of Kuroki, thatched with green grass, and shuttered. But for the Hasshinden, the Shisei-sho-ya, and the lodgings, reed is used. (Note: following the Jōgan Gishiki.)

¶Under the Engi system, the Hasshinden was newly set as one building four jō long and one jō wide. The Inami Imiya (purification house for the rice crop), one building, is two jō long and eight shaku wide. The Shigaya (envoys' office), one building, is four jō long and one jō two shaku wide. There is one building for the Inami-no-Kimi and others. The buildings for the Mikitsukuri-no-Warawa and others are each two jō long and one jō two shaku wide. (Note: following the Engishiki.)

¶The Kitano Saijō (Kitano purification ground) has an outer precinct forty jō square, enclosed by a brushwood fence, with gates opened on all four sides. In the north the inner precinct and the Kanhatori precinct are built. South of the Kanhatori precinct one Chōoku (office hall) is set crosswise. It lies about thirty jō north of the south gate, and is five jō six shaku long and one jō six shaku wide. It is about seven bays, with a door opened on the northwest and eaves on the north and south. About one jō north of it one Sakaya (sake house) is set crosswise. A door is opened on the southwest and eaves are provided on the south. The number of bays and the length and width are as above. East of it one Nin-kyū-oku (provisions house) is set crosswise. It is four jō long and one jō six shaku wide. It is about five bays; the eastern three bays form a chamber, with a door on the west side and eaves on the south, and a door is also opened to the west across a wall. The western two bays form a hall. South of it one Ryōriya (cooking house) is set lengthwise. It is five jō six shaku long and one jō six shaku wide. It is about seven bays, with eaves on the west face and a door opened, facing the west eaves of the Nin-kyū-oku. Further south one Kurashiroya is placed lengthwise. It is seven jō four shaku long and one jō six shaku wide. It is about nine bays, with eaves on both east and west sides, and further south one more of the same kind is set lengthwise. The number of bays, length, width, and eaves are all as above. East of it is likewise. At the north side of the east gate, about thirteen jō to the north, one Kannin Shukuoku (officials' lodge) is set lengthwise. It is about five bays, four jō long and one jō six shaku wide, with eaves on the east and west. At the south side, about fourteen jō to the south, one building of five bays is set crosswise. It is three jō five shaku long and one jō four shaku wide. The western two bays are the lodging of the Inami-no-Kimi, and the eastern three bays are the lodging of the Mononobe men, and doors are opened on the south in both cases. Further south there is a similar one, whose western two bays are the lodging of the Mikitsukuri-no-Warawame and whose eastern three bays are the lodging of the Mononobe women. West of the Sakaya one Ōiya (great kitchen) is set crosswise. It is about seven bays, five jō six shaku long and one jō six shaku wide, with eaves on the north and south. About four jō south of it, somewhat west, one building for storing miscellaneous goods is placed lengthwise. It is about seven bays, five jō six shaku long and one jō six shaku wide. Doors are opened on the west and east, and eaves are provided on the east face. South of it one building for making Hakogata (box-shaped vessels) and one Tsukenaya (pickle house) is placed lengthwise. Further south one building for storing the Nukiho (cut-ear) sacred rice is placed lengthwise. All are constructed as above, but eaves are also provided on the west face. At the north side of the west gate is the Ōtagui-in (Precinct of the Great Rice-Ear Rite), with a gate opened on the east face and four buildings within it. North of the gate one Sakaya is set crosswise. It is about three bays, two jō four shaku long and one jō six shaku wide. A door is opened on the south face and eaves provided. South of the gate one Kōjimuro (malt chamber) is set crosswise. It has a door on the east side and is otherwise the same as the Sakaya. At the western end of the two buildings one Ōiya is set lengthwise, with a door opened on the east and otherwise as above. At the south side of the west gate one Zōhyō-oku (building for the making of the Hyō, the tall ceremonial structure) is set. It is four jō square and three jō eight shaku high, with eaves on all four sides. South of it one building of five bays is set up crosswise. It is three jō five shaku long and one jō four shaku wide. The eastern three bays are the lodging of the post-station envoys, and the western two bays are the lodging of the Negi and Urabe, and doors are set on the south in both cases. South of it one more building of five bays is set crosswise. The eastern two bays are the lodging of the Kanhatori-no-Osa and the western three bays the lodging of the Kanhatori women, built as above.

¶The inner precinct has the Yuki-in on the west and the Suki-in on the east, each twelve jō square. The Yuki-in has its gate set on the east, and south of it one Shinzaden (hall of the divine seat) is set lengthwise. It is about eight bays, two jō four shaku long and seven shaku eight sun wide, with pillars seven shaku high. There are eaves on the west face, and inside Shimoto shelves are built and mats spread, with Ashiginu (coarse silk) laid over the mats. On the north side one Takakaya Katabuki-no-Mikura (single-pitch high-thatch storehouse) is set. It is eight shaku in diameter and nine shaku high, with four Kuroki logs as pillars and Komo as wall hangings. Inside, Shimoto shelves are built, four shaku high. West of it one Inami-dono is set up crosswise. It is about three bays, with a door on the south face, two jō four shaku long and one jō two shaku wide, with pillars eight shaku high, shuttered with brushwood and with woven plank doors. South of it one Kurashirodono is set up lengthwise, and further south one Minie-dono (hall of food offerings) is set up lengthwise, both with doors opened on the west and pillars seven shaku high. Further south one Shikimonodono (hall of furnishings) is set up crosswise, with a door on the west side, facing the Inami-dono. The number of bays, length, width, shutters, and doors are all as above. West of the Inami-dono one Kurokidono (hall of the black sake) is set up crosswise, and next the Shirokidono (hall of the white sake). Both have doors on the south, are shuttered with thatch, and have Komo as wall hangings. The number of bays and the length and width are as above. South of it one Kōjimuro-ya is set lengthwise, and south of that one Ōiya is set lengthwise, both with doors on the east. South of it one Usudono (mortar hall) is placed crosswise, with a door on the east side, and the number of bays, length, width, shutters, and doors are the same as the Inami-dono. In general all the halls and buildings are built of Kuroki and thatched with Kaya (miscanthus), except that only the Shirokidono uses white wood.

¶The Suki-in has its gate on the west, and its halls and buildings all follow the Yuki-in. The Kanhatori-in is ten jō square, lies between the inner precincts of the Yuki-in and the Suki-in, and has two halls, for Yuki and Suki. Its gate is opened on the northeast. At the east side of the north gate one hall is set crosswise to serve as Yuki. It is three jō five shaku long and one jō two shaku wide. It is about five bays, with a door opened on the south face. Under the south fence one building of five bays is set up crosswise, facing the Kanhatori-den. It is three jō five shaku long and one jō two shaku wide. The western three bays, across a wall, are the lodging of the Kanhatori women and the eastern two bays are the lodging of the Fukuchō (clothing attendants), with doors opened on the north in both cases. West of the north gate is Suki, and the construction of the halls and buildings is entirely the same as Yuki. All are built of Kuroki, thatched with Kaya, and shuttered with Hashiba (leafy brushwood). (Note: following the Jōgan Gishiki.)

¶Under the Engi system, in the outer precinct one each of the Tamyō Sakaya, the Kurashiroya, and the Kugo Ryōriya (cooking house for the Emperor's food) were newly built, together with three Tamyō Ryōriya and one Kōjimuro. In the inner precinct one each of the Hasshinden, the Inami-ya, the Kuroki-ya, the Shiroki-ya, the Usuya, the Ōiya, and the Kōjimuro was set up. In the Kanhatori-in the Kanhatori-den for Yuki and Suki were set up, with one rest house (Ikoiya) each for the Kanhatori men and women and one rest house for the Hafuribe, and their lengths and widths were in all cases fixed according to circumstances. In addition, a Jikiin (dining precinct) was established on land near the Daijōgū, to prepare the Emperor's meals and also to serve as a place for the meals of the Kosainin (minor purified attendants). Gates were opened on each of the four sides, and within it one each of the Moriya, Sakaya, Nieya (offering house), Utsuwaya (vessel house), Ōiya, Kugo Gozenya (house for the Emperor's meals), Ryōri Zakoya (house for cooking miscellaneous fish), and Bishokuya (provisions house) was set up, all roofed with planks. However, the number of buildings and their lengths and widths were increased or reduced according to the amount of business. (Note: following the Engishiki.)