also called maidono (舞殿 dance palace?), is the building within a Shinto shrine where the sacred dance (kagura) and music are offered to the kami during ceremonies.[1] It was originally just a temporary stage, first mentioned in a 9th-century text describing a maidono built in front of Hirano Shrine. In about a century it had become a permanent shrine feature, and its use was extended until its function as a worship hall prevailed over the original.[1] It is now used also for weddings and Noh plays. Some scholars believe the heiden, or hall of worship, has its origins in the kagura-den.