The basic garment is the hakama, a wide split skirt that falls to the ankles and is coloured white, light blue, or (for high dignitaries) purple. Over this are worn two or more layers of kimono-type garments, the most formal of which is the white silk saifuku. Over the saifuku is worn the hō, coloured black, red, or light blue. Less formal are the jōe, a robe of white silk, and the varicoloured kariginu (which means “hunting garment,” attesting to the use made of it during the Heian period); laymen, too, may wear these garments during visits to shrines or participation in religious ceremonies.

The priest's headgear may be either the black lacquered-silk eboshi, for less formal attire, or the more elaborate kanmuri, worn with the saifuku costume. Priests usually carry a shaku, a flat wooden sceptre, either held in the hand or thrust into the belt.