ZUKURI

'...construction style'. In a Shinto context it usually refers to the architectural style of a Shinto shrine. There are more than a dozen distinctive types of shrine architecture. The branch shrines (bunsha) of a major shrine are often built in the same style as the main shrine, but each shrine has its own individual history and it is not uncommon to find a mixture of styles. Brief descriptions of the main types may be found under the following entries:Gongen-zukuri, Hachiman-zukuri, Nagare-zukuri, Kasuga-zukuri, Kibitsu-zukuri, Otori-zukuri, Sengen-zukuri, Shinmei-zukuri, Sumiyoshi-zukuri, Taisha-zukuri, Yatsu-mune-zukuri.