The foundation of a nine-pillar structure dating back to around the eighth or ninth century has been unearthed at an excavation site in Hikawa, Shimane Prefecture, it was learned Saturday.
The latest finding at the Sugisawa III site is said to recall Izumo Taisha Shrine, and experts expect it to help shed light on the origins of the so-called Taisha style of architecture.
The foundation -- nine holes 30 to 40 cm in diameter and about 30 cm deep arranged in three rows with equal distance between them -- indicates the structure was in the form of a square with sides of 3.6 meters.
The Hikawa Municipal Board of Education, which conducted the excavation, estimated the structure to have been built sometime around the Nara through Heian periods based on pottery shards found near the site.
The site is located on a hill about 25 meters high and about 150 meters west of another shrine that is mentioned in ancient local records.
"The nine-pillar building is very strong in terms of structure. I believe it was a shrine or a kind of warehouse for instruments for religious events," said Sho Katsube, an expert on ancient local history with the Shimane Prefectural Board of Education.
The municipal education board has been conducting research at the site since April 1999.