1.
shrine building; main hall of a Shinto shrine
The main building or buildings of a Shinto shrine where the deity is enshrined. Can refer to the main hall specifically or to the shrine buildings collectively.
社殿に参拝する。
To worship at the shrine building.
朱塗りの社殿が美しい。
The vermilion-painted shrine building is beautiful.
火災で焼失した社殿が、数年かけて再建された。
The shrine building that was destroyed by fire was rebuilt over several years.
A compound of 社 (shrine) and 殿 (hall, palace). Refers specifically to Shinto shrine architecture, not Buddhist temples.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Shinto shrine buildings typically include the 本殿 (main hall housing the deity), 拝殿 (worship hall where visitors pray), and various auxiliary structures. 社殿 can refer to any of these or to the complex as a whole. Traditional shrine architecture features distinctive elements like 千木 (forked finials) and 鰹木 (log-shaped ridge ornaments).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 社殿を建てる — to build a shrine hall
- 社殿を再建する — to rebuild a shrine hall
- 社殿の造営 — construction of a shrine building
- 朱塗りの社殿 — vermilion-painted shrine building
RELATED TERMS:
- 本殿 — main hall of a shrine; where the deity resides
- 拝殿 — worship hall; where visitors pray
- 仏殿 — Buddhist temple hall; the Buddhist equivalent