For this reason, it is thought that the places of worship established in mountain forests were not small shrines but rather ancient trees or rocks to which spirits were believed to be drawn only during the holding of rituals.
そのため、山林に設けられた祭場は当初は祠などではなく、祭祀のときのみ古木や石を依代として祀ったものだったと考えられる。