As the honden is regarded as the sacred place where a spirit of kami or deity dwells, it is often enclosed by wooden fences, or protected by the oiya structure built over it, keeping the honden from being seen by public during ordinary times.
本殿は神がいるとされる神聖な場所であるため、瑞垣などで囲われたり、覆屋が造られ、普段は見ることができなくなっていることも多い。