本殿(ほんでん)

ほんでん
noun
main shrine building
religionbuilding
1. main hall of a Shinto shrine
The innermost and most sacred building of a Shinto shrine, which houses the enshrined deity (御神体). Visitors typically worship at the worship hall (拝殿) in front, as the main hall is usually not open to the public.
本殿(ほんでん)は国宝(こくほう)に指定(してい)されている。
The main hall is designated as a national treasure.
本殿(ほんでん)の裏(うら)には古(ふる)い杉(すぎ)の木(き)がある。
Behind the main hall stands an old cedar tree.
この神社(じんじゃ)の本殿(ほんでん)は室町時代(むろまちじだい)に建(た)てられたもので、歴史的(れきしてき)価値(かち)が非常(ひじょう)に高(たか)い。
The main hall of this shrine was built during the Muromachi period and has extremely high historical value.

Usage

本殿(ほんでん) refers specifically to the main building of a Shinto shrine (神社(じんじゃ)), where the 御神体(ごしんたい) (sacred object representing the deity) is housed. It is distinct from the 拝殿(はいでん) (worship hall), where visitors pray.

The 本殿(ほんでん) is typically located behind the 拝殿(はいでん) and is often not accessible to the general public.

For Buddhist temples, the equivalent term is 本堂(ほんどう) (main hall).

Common collocations

Related Words

Related: 神殿(しんでん) (temple)
Related: 社殿(しゃでん) (shrine building)
Compare: 拝殿(はいでん) (worship hall)
Compare: 祭殿(さいでん) (ceremonial hall)
general
Added 2026.2.23 19:46 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
13000/13090_honden