Devided Shrines: Front Shrine in the Village, Rear Shrine in the Forest

These small buildings are self-built shrines in a depopulated village in the mountain region of Japan. In 2015, the pre-existing shrine was deeply injured by a heavy typhoon. This shrine had two architectural components: one is the front shrine dedicated to worshipers while the other was the rear shrine, where the main shrine was set. The original shrine’s site was too narrow and had partly collapsed. So we decided to divide the building into two smaller shrines: the frontal area is a housing area for inhabitants and the worshipers while the rear shrine is set in the forest as a sacred site.