Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Haiden hall of worship at Futenma Shrine.
We finally come to the main buildings of a shrine and often there are two. Remember,
the purpose of a shrine is to house and protect some sacred object for worship, something
blessed with
kami
. When such objects exist, they are contained within the Honden (
本殿
; lit.
“main building,” also called Shinden
神殿
; lit. “
kami
building”). It's the most sacred edifice
at any shrine and its purpose is solely for the enshrinement of the
kami
objects. Usually, the
building is small, at the rear of the shrine complex, and closed to the public. It may be raised
or encircled by a fence or a
shimenawa
. Only the Shinto priests may enter the building, al-
though it may be opened on certain holy days. However, if the
kami
object of veneration is a
nearby mountain, stone, tree or some other great object, there will be no Honden because it's
not needed.
Whether or not there's a Honden, there will always be a Haiden (
拝殿
; lit. “worship hall,”
sometimes translated as “offering hall”). And it will always be the largest building at a shrine
as it's meant to hold the congregation of worshippers. In it, there will be an altar used by the
priests to conduct ceremonies. This is the building where the public can come to pray.
Is there
kami
in these
iwa
? Most probably yes. These picturesque unnamed rocks are off northern
Okinawa's Pacific Coast, not far from Higashi (
東村
).
he underground Honden cave at Futenma.
