A is the part within a Shinto shrine's compound used to house offerings. It normally consists of a connecting section linking the honden

Honden

The , is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined kami, usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a statue. The building is normally in the rear of the shrine and closed to the general public. In front of its usually stands the haiden, or...

(sanctuary, closed to the public) to the haiden

Haiden (Shinto)

In Shinto shrine architecture, the is the hall of worship or oratory. It is generally placed in front of the shrine's main sanctuary and often built on a larger scale than the latter. The haiden is often connected to the honden by a heiden, or hall of offerings...

(oratory). If the shrine is built in the so-called Ishi-no-ma-zukuri

Ishi-no-ma-zukuri

, also called , and is the name of a complex Shinto shrine structure in which the haiden, or worship hall, and the honden, or main sanctuary, are interconnected under the same roof in the shape of an H....

style, its stone pavement is lower than the floor of the other two rooms, and it is called , hence the name. It can also be called or in other ways, and its position can sometimes vary. In spite of its name, nowadays it is used mostly for rituals.