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Rebuilding of the Ise Shrine

Every 20 years, for 1200 years, the fences and main buildings of the Ise Shrine have been completely rebuilt. The shrine, which is the center of Shinto worship in Japan, is of major importance in Japanese history. It represents the continuity and renewal of Shinto, of the authority of the imperial house, and of the traditions underlying Japanese architecture. In a tradition where wood, rather than stone, was always the principal building material, such a form of renewal is the only way that the shrine compound could have survived into the twentieth century. But the renewal means many things and the Ise shrine can only be understood when it is seen as the center of a complex interaction among power, religion, and aesthetics. It can only be fully appreciated, however, as an instance of a perfect blend of materials, forms, and site created as a tribute to the power, serenity and beauty of nature.

The term Ise refers to a large complex of shrines and smaller sanctuaries at various spots on the east coast of the Kii peninsula in Mie prefecture. The two principal shrine compounds are the Outer Shrine (or Geku) which was established for Toyouke Okami, "Great Spirit of Food Abundance," in 478, and the Inner Shrine (or Naiku) consecrated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. The Outer Shrine is near the coast and the Naiku is approximately three miles inland. The two shrines were unconnected at first, but in the ninth century "they were incorporated into a unified institution" (Coaldrake 21).

The official name of the Naiku is the Ko daijingu, or Imperial Shrine. But, since the Heian period, it has generally been known by the popular name of Inner Shrine. The goddess Amaterasu Omikami, or "Heaven-illuminating Great Spirit" was the "traditional ancestor of the Imperial house" and the Inner sanctuary has functioned as both the national shrine and the Imperial family's shrine for most of its life (Stanley-Baker 28). The date at which t...

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Rebuilding of the Ise Shrine. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 12:40, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1696001.html