Getting to Know: Haiden

Welcome to the newbies. ( * * ) / This is the seventh in a series about getting to know a Shinto shrine. Our first step was a torii gate followed by shimenawa, shide, temizuya, Komainu, and then kaguraden. Please check the forum for other useful links. Like this one.

All of these past swaps are available. =D If you'd like a copy, drop me a PM.

Back to our virtual shrine...

Up the stairs and past the komainu we're in the main shrine precinct. Before us is a roofed, raised stage, the kaguraden. Moving past it we reached a short staircase to the heart of the shrine, the haiden. This is as far as we can go, for beyond this building is the honden where the kami resides when visiting.

Should we wish to get married at this shrine, the service would be preformed here. Presenting a new born baby, engaging in a coming of age ceremony, or preparing for a festival all take place here in the haiden.

Just like the previous swaps, I want to get you REALLY looking at haiden. Go out on the web and search for haiden. Find three examples to send to your partners, and of those three, explain to your partners which you like best and why. It doesn’t need to be an essay, just a simple, isn’t this gorgeous? is good enough, but more is better. Sincerity is key.

Keep an eye on what appeals to you and why; which did you prefer; enclosed, open, massive or intimate, wood or some other material? What is your ideal?

Bonus points for this round! Here's a fun fact: the architecture of a haiden tells those in the know the sex of the kami within. Where chigi are used, ones pointing toward the sky mean one sex, and ones facing left and right respectively are the other. Which is which? Here's a hint... go look at Ise. ;-)

Immerse yourself, even if it’s just for a few minutes. This is your time.