Shrine (Age of Empires III)

Shrines are Japanese unique buildings in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. They provide population like houses, but also a trickle of resources.

Overview
The Shrine is the special building the Japanese can build in place of a house. Shrines give the same amount of population as a normal house (10), but also produce a tiny trickle of any resources of the player's choice (a Home City Card enables them to produce experience). All shrines must produce the same resource - changing the resource trickle on one shrine will change the production on all shrines. The Shrine will also naturally attract animals, and any animals tasked to a shrine will increase the amount of resources it produces (including experience). Small game like deer produce the least resources, large game like bison produce more than small game, and herdables like cows increase the production the most.

Shrines without nearby animals will give a very slow trickle, so it is wise to build them near flocks of huntable animals, as long as the player can protect the shrines from enemies.

Shrines income can be increased by the wonder Toshogu Shrine, the home city card Heavenly Kami, or the technology upgrade Tempo Reforms.

History
"A Japanese Shinto shrine and the surrounding natural area are called a jinja, and its sole purpose is for the enshrinement and worship of a kami, a god within a natural object, such as the trees or the sun. It is believed that jinja were originally constructed as temporary shrines for periodical festivals held at holy sites, such as on a mountain or near a cave. It was believed that kami migrated from place to place and could not be confined. A jinja has several parts. The honden is the building that contains the goshintai, which literally means, “the sacred body of the kami.” It is usually small and undecorated and only accessible to the Shinto devout. The torii gates serve as the scared entrance to the jinja space, and are perhaps the most recognizable feature."