Kibitsu-zukuri
Kibitsu-zukuri, kibi-zukuri or is a traditional Japanese Shinto architectural style characterized by four dormer gables, two per lateral side, on the roof of a very large honden. The gables are set at a right angle to the main roof ridge, and the honden is part of a single complex also including a haiden. Kibitsu Shrine in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan is the sole example of the style, although the Soshi-dō of Hokekyō-ji in Chiba prefecture is believed to have been modeled on it.
Structure
The T-shaped shrine is composed of two buildings: the haiden or prayer hall, in the front, and the honden or sanctuary, in the back, both under the same roof and joined by a short stairway. Both buildings show the clear influence of Buddhist architecture, as they include features of all major styles, that is Daibutsuyō, Zenshūyō and Wayō.''Honden''
The honden, which shows strong daibutsuyō influences, is extremely large, measuring 14.64 x 17.99 m, or 5 x 8 x 7 bays, with bays of a different length according to their position.The honden's interior has a complex structure, being divided in six separate sections joined by six different stairways. At the very center of the honden are two sanctuaries, the nai-naijin which measures 3 x 2 bays, and the naijin, which measures 3 x 1 bays. The two sanctuaries are surrounded on all sides by two corridors called the chūjin and the gejin. Between the chūjin and the gejin lies a 5 x 1 bay space called kōhai-no-ma, also called ake-no-dan. The closer one gets to the center, the higher the floor and the ceiling. The ceiling's structure itself changes, as most of the chūjin and the entire gejin have no ceiling, and the roof is therefore exposed, whereas other sections have ceilings of different types. The nainaijin for example lies below the gables. The whole area is decorated with vermillion and black lacquer.