The builders of the Daigokuden of Heian-jingu Shrine and the designers in charge of the reconstruction of the Daigokuden of Heijo-kyu referred to "Nenju Gyoji Emaki" (a picture scroll of yearly events), which was created under the order of Cloistered Emperor Goshirakawa during the Heian period, and clearly depicts the Daigokuden of irimoya-zukuri style (building with a half-hipped roof) architecture that measured 20 meters from east to west in width and four ken 7.3 meters from north to south in depth, and had red painted pillars and tiled roofs with a pair of golden Shibi (ornamental ridge-end tiles).
平安時代、後白河法皇の命で作られた『年中行事絵巻』には東西11間、南北4間で、朱塗りの柱と瓦葺屋根入母屋造の屋根に金色の鴟尾を戴く大極殿が鮮やかに描かれており、平安神宮大極殿や平城宮跡の大極殿復元事業でも参考とされた。