Ryōbu Shintō, shaped by the meeting of Shinto and Esoteric Buddhist currents, left a clear imprint on the physical form of shrine complexes. Shrines that had once been relatively simple sacred enclosures increasingly became compound spaces in which Shinto and Buddhist structures coexisted. Within a single precinct one might find the Shinto honden and haiden standing alongside Buddhist-style halls, pagodas, bell towers, lecture halls, and sutra repositories. This structural integration was often formalized in the system of jingū-ji, where a Buddhist temple was built within or adjacent to shrine grounds, creating a unified yet dual-focus sacred environment. The result was that shrine complexes came to accommodate both Shinto worship of kami and Buddhist veneration of corresponding deities in a shared architectural frame.

The spatial organization of these sites also reflected the doctrinal logic of Ryōbu Shintō. Layouts were devised to house distinct yet related worship areas, with the Shinto sanctuary paired with a nearby Buddhist temple space that embodied the honji suijaku relationship between Buddhas and kami. Inner and outer precincts, axial approaches, and clusters of buildings were arranged to sustain both traditions while preserving an overall sense of unity. In some cases, multi-level or more complex spatial arrangements echoed Buddhist hierarchical concepts, allowing different deities and ritual functions to be distributed across a carefully ordered ground plan. Through such arrangements, the very movement through the precinct became a quiet lesson in syncretic cosmology.

Architectural details and gateways further expressed this blending. Traditional torii did not disappear, but they were sometimes accompanied or followed by Buddhist-style gates, creating a layered sequence of thresholds that visually blurred the line between shrine and temple. Covered corridors and galleries, more typical of temple architecture, came to connect buildings within shrine precincts, and roofing styles and decorative schemes grew more elaborate under Buddhist influence. Stone lantern-lined approaches and the presence of guardian figures or protective symbols at entrances reinforced the sense that one was entering a space shaped by both Shinto reverence for place and Buddhist concern for ritual protection.

Within the buildings themselves, the syncretism of Ryōbu Shintō became especially tangible. Altars might combine Shinto mirrors with Buddhist statuary, and Buddhist images associated with the shrine’s kami could be enshrined in halls within the shrine grounds. Ritual furnishings, incense burners, banners, and other Buddhist implements appeared alongside traditional Shinto elements, allowing dual religious practices to unfold in a single setting. Decorative motifs such as lotus patterns and other Buddhist-inspired designs were integrated into woodwork, metalwork, and textiles, while color schemes and ornamentation grew more ornate. Through these layered forms, shrine architecture ceased to be a purely Shinto statement and instead became a visible embodiment of a shared sacred world in which kami and Buddhas were understood as intimately related.