The main hall, or honden, gives its name to the taisha-zukuri style, with a gable entrance and large chigi finials. It is 79 feet (24 m) high on a base 36 feet (11 m) square, reconstructed in 1744. A record from about 950 describes a hall about 157 feet (48 m) tall, and enormous pillar remains found in 2000 support the tradition that it was once much taller.
Nine support pillars divide the interior into four sections, and the entrance is off-center, which is unusual for a shrine. The main structure was reduced in size around 1200, and the shrine is rebuilt every 60 to 70 years in a process called sengū.
The main hall was designated a National Treasure in 1952. The shrine's spirit moved to temporary housing in April 2008 for renovations and returned on May 11, 2013. The Kagura-den holds Japan's largest shimenawa, 44 feet (13.5 m) long and about 5 tons.
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