拝殿(はいでん)

Compound of 拝(はい) ('to worship; to pray') and 殿(でん) ('hall; palace'). In Shinto shrine architecture, the 拝殿(はいでん) is the public-facing building where worshippers pray. It is distinct from the 本殿(ほんでん) (main sanctuary), which houses the enshrined deity and is usually off-limits to the public.

Shrine architecture

• The typical layout places the 拝殿(はいでん) in front, connected or adjacent to the 本殿(ほんでん) behind it
• Not all shrines have a separate 拝殿(はいでん) — smaller shrines may have only a 本殿(ほんでん)
• The 拝殿(はいでん) often features a 賽銭箱(さいせんばこ) (offering box) and 鈴(すず) (bell) at its front

Common collocations

• 拝殿(はいでん)で参拝(さんぱい)する: to worship at the hall of worship
• 拝殿(はいでん)の前(まえ): in front of the worship hall
• 拝殿(はいでん)に向(む)かって礼(れい)をする: to bow toward the worship hall
• 拝殿(はいでん)の建(た)て替(か)え: rebuilding of the worship hall

Similar words

• 本殿(ほんでん): main sanctuary — the innermost, most sacred building that houses the deity; usually not open to the public
• 社殿(しゃでん): shrine buildings — a collective term for all the buildings in a shrine complex
• 本堂(ほんどう): main hall (Buddhist) — the equivalent central worship building in a Buddhist temple