In the shinmei-zukuri style buildings have a rectangular shape with its width longer than the depth, and the style is thought to have been developed from takayukashiki-soko (warehouses on stilts) and changed so that the building became more fitted for keeping shinpo (sacred treasures) than storing grain, and the sumiyoshi-zukuri style is close to the style of the building where Daijosai (the first ceremonial offering of rice by newly-enthroned Emperor) is held.
神明造が奥行きより幅が大きい長方形で、高床式倉庫から発展し穀物の代わりに神宝を納めるように変化したものと考えられ、住吉造が大嘗祭の建物に近似している。