The former goshi consists of three types of goshi: honden-goshi, where all the deities are enshrined together in one shrine building; keidai-goshi, where a shrine is moved to another shrine's precinct as a keidai-sha (a shrine existing within the precincts of the main shrine); and tobichi-keidai goshi, where a shrine is moved to a distant tobichi-keidai (a detached precinct) as a keigai-sha (a shrine existing outside the precincts of the main shrine).
前者の合祀には、神社建築で祭神を一緒に祀る本殿合祀と、神社の境内に元の神社を移転し境内社とする境内合祀、離れた飛地境内に移転し境外社とする飛地境内合祀の3種類がある。