chinjusha　鎮守社
KEY WORD :　architecture / shrines
　
Also read chinju no yashiro. It is sometimes called chinjudou 鎮守堂; dojidou 土地堂; gohoudou 護法堂 hakusandou 白山堂. A shrine which houses the god, chinju, who guards a shrine, village, temple, residence, and even the Imperial Palace which is protected by the twenty-one guardian gods at Ise Jinguu 伊勢神宮. Chinju 鎮守 refers to tutelary gods themselves. However, when a shrine is called chinjudou this usually refers to a shrine housing a Shinto deity which guards a temple. Such an arrangement arose from the blending of Shinto and Buddhism, shinbutsu shuugou 神仏習合, which actually began as early as the Nara period but became a concentrated endeavor during the 13c. Whether the chinjusha is built within the temple precincts or outside in the vicinity, it retains the style of a shrine. It does not take on the appearance of a temple building. Examples: Kasuga Myoujin 春日明神 at Koufukuji 興福寺 in Nara (Kamakura period). Enjouji Kasugadou, Hakusandou 圓成寺春日堂, 白山堂 in Nara. Chouhoji Chinjudou 長保寺鎮守堂 in Wakayama prefecture (Kamakura period). Onjouji Shinra Zenshindou 園城寺新羅善神堂 Shiga prefecture (1347).
　


Enjouji 圓成寺 (Nara)
Kasugadou 春日堂 (left), Hakusandou 白山堂 (right)

　
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