Ise Grand Shrine has a history of about 2000 years and is known as the "spiritual home" of the Japanese people. The largest festival of Ise Grand Shrine, the "Shikinen Sengu" held once every 20 years, will be held in 2033, so preparations will begin in 2025.
Therefore, Premium Japan will use this opportunity to introduce basic information and attractions of Ise Shrine, as well as the traditional ceremonies leading up to the Shikinen Sengu.

This series will allow you to learn more about Ise Shrine, which is considered a special sacred place for the Japanese people.

The air is crisp and cold. The sunlight shines champagne gold.

Ise Shrine is especially divine in the early mornings of January. The expressions of the people walking along the approach to the shrine are somehow cheerful, and you can sense the freshness of welcoming the new year.

The first shrine visit of the year at Ise Jingu Shrine lasts not only during the New Year period (from January 7st to the 15th, and in some areas until the 11th), but also until the Lunar New Year (January 125st on the lunar calendar). In particular, January 1th, which is the day of Kagami-biraki, is a precious annual opportunity for all the deities worshipped at Ise Jingu Shrine's 10 shrines to gather together in front of the main deity, Amaterasu Omikami, and share a meal together. During the ceremony, which begins at XNUMXam, many priests make offerings of food to the gods.

I've written this much in one go, but some of you may have been surprised along the way. "Ise Grand Shrine has 125 shrines?"

Ise Grand Shrine, which has 125 shrines, is located in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, known as the "Beautiful Country."

Ise City is located in the northeastern part of the Shima Peninsula, which juts out to the east of Mie Prefecture.
The center of Ise Grand Shrine, which is enshrined in this place, consists of two shrines: Kotai Shrine, commonly known as Naiku, which enshrines Amaterasu Omikami, and Toyouke Daijingu, commonly known as Geku, which enshrines Toyouke no Omikami, the god who is in charge of feeding Amaterasu Omikami.

In addition, it consists of 14 branch shrines, 43 auxiliary shrines, 24 subordinate shrines, and 42 subordinate shrines, for a total of 125 shrines.
We will explain each shrine and their enshrined deities in detail next time, but not all of the shrines are located within the grounds of the Inner Shrine and the Outer Shrine, but are scattered throughout four cities and two counties in Mie Prefecture.
Moreover, the distance between the Inner Shrine and the Outer Shrine is about 4 km in a straight line, so they are quite far apart.

Although it is simply called a pilgrimage to Ise Shrine, behind it lies a magnificent world, including history.

What is the difference between "Jingu" and "Shrine"?

The official name is simply "Jingu". Ise Jingu is the common name. Incidentally, "miya" means "miya (house)". On the other hand, the origin of the word "jinja" is "yashiro (house)", and "shiro" refers to the land.

In ancient times, a shrine was built for each ritual, and the gods were invited there to make offerings and prayers, so the word "shrine" originally meant a temporary facility for worshiping the gods.

In contrast, a "miya" is a permanent facility. The name "jingu" (shrine) suggests how rare and special it is that a god has always been worshiped at a place with an ancient history.

Everything from the rice and vegetables offered to the deceased to the earthenware and clothing is self-sufficient.
The origins of Japan, where Japanese life is passed down

Even if you don't know the details, the wonder of a pilgrimage to Ise is that just walking along the long approach to the shrine, breathing in the refreshing air of the sacred grounds, and putting your hands together in front of the main shrine where the enshrined deity is enshrined, can make you feel grateful and like good things are going to happen.
The sound of the wind rustling the trees, the pure rapids of the Isuzu River...the sounds of nature can also be said to cleanse the soul.

At the shrine, water from the Isuzu River is used to grow rice and vegetables to offer to the gods. In other words, self-sufficiency is the rule. The unglazed earthenware used to hold the offerings is also made at the earthenware factory, and rituals are held twice a day, in the morning and evening, to offer food to the gods.

The clothing of Amaterasu Omikami is also handmade by weavers. Two types of fabric, silk and linen, are woven in a loom and replaced every spring and fall. In addition, the main buildings of both shrines are built in the traditional Japanese architectural style known as "Yuitsu Shinmei-zukuri," which is said to have evolved from raised-floor granaries that were originally used to store rice and other crops.

It has been about 2000 years since Amaterasu Omikami was enshrined in Ise. During that time, society and people's lives have changed dramatically, and even in an age where generative AI is taking over, rituals are still performed every day in accordance with ancient customs.
That is the shrine; in other words, it can be described as a place where the lifestyle and culture rooted in the Japanese climate continues to be practiced even today.

Every time I visit the shrine, I always feel refreshed and at peace in my heart. Perhaps this is because some of my cells recall and unconsciously resonate with the original Japanese attitude that we tend to forget in our daily lives: offering thanks and prayer while feeling close to the abundant nature that was once a part of our daily lives.

The connection between Ise Shrine and the Imperial Family hidden in the "Three Sacred Treasures"

However, the main reason why the shrine has been able to continue to preserve its ancient rituals is that its main deity, Amaterasu Omikami, is the imperial ancestral deity and ancestor of the imperial family.

According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, it is said that Ninigi-no-Mikoto, the grandson of Amaterasu Omikami, descended to earth from Takama-ga-hara, where the gods are said to reside, entrusted with three treasures, including the Yata no Kagami mirror, in which the spirit of Amaterasu Omikami resides, namely the Three Sacred Treasures. It is said that Ninigi-no-Mikoto's great-grandson was the first emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu.

And ever since Ninigi-no-Mikoto descended to earth, the Yatagarasu mirror has been worshipped beside successive emperors as the sacred object of Amaterasu Omikami.
Why was it moved from Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture), which was the capital at the time, to this place called Ise?

It all began when, during the reign of the 10th Emperor, Sujin, an epidemic spread throughout the country, killing many people.
Emperor Sujin, who ruled the country at the foot of Mt. Miwa in Yamato Province at the time and built the foundation for peace throughout the country while devoting himself to worshiping the gods, decided in order to overcome this national crisis to enshrine the Yatagarasu mirror, which had previously been enshrined in the Imperial Palace and which he found too sacred, in a more suitable location outside the Imperial Palace.

According to the Nihon Shoki, the emperor's child, Toyosukiirihime no Mikoto, first became Amaterasu Omikami's "Mitsueshiro" (one who serves as the god's staff) and traveled in search of a suitable place to enshrine her. Later, during the reign of the 11th Emperor, Suinin, Yamatohime no Mikoto, also the emperor's child, succeeded her and traveled around various places.

Why do "Oise-san" shrines exist all over the Kinai region?

One of the reasons the two princesses traveled for many years, passing through various areas west of the capital, such as what is now Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, and Wakayama prefectures, as well as Shiga, Gifu, Aichi, and Mie prefectures, was undoubtedly to search for a suitable place to worship Amaterasu Omikami.
On the other hand, however, a more realistic interpretation is that they may have held discussions with the powerful clans living in each region and made promises to obey the Yamato court.

Could it be that this tradition was continued by Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, the nephew of Yamatohime-no-Mikoto, even after Amaterasu Omikami was enshrined in Ise, and led to the subjugation of the Kanto region...? I once heard such a story from the chief priest of a certain former Ise shrine, that is, a shrine where Amaterasu Omikami is said to have been temporarily enshrined during her travels around the country, with the caveat that "this is purely my personal opinion."

I learned then that myths are by no means absurd, but rather that they are a vast world that convey some kind of message to future generations.

Approximately 1500 festivals are held throughout the year. A sacred place where prayers are made daily for the safety of Japan and our happiness.

According to the "Nihon Shoki," after a long journey, Amaterasu Omikami arrived in Ise and told Yamatohime-no-mikoto:

"This land of divine winds, Ise, is a land from far away, where waves come and go from the other side of the earth.Although it is a neighboring country, far from the capital, it is a beautiful country.I would like to stay in this country."

"Tokoyo" is an ideal world that is guaranteed to last forever. There is a theory that ancient people believed that the sun was born every day in Tokoyo, which is in the eastern sea, and that by worshiping Amaterasu Omikami in Ise, which is close to the eastern sea, the divine virtue of Amaterasu, who is also likened to the sun, would be further enhanced.

In any case, Yamatohime-no-mikoto received a revelation from Amaterasu Omikami and built a shrine upstream of the Isuzu River. This was the beginning of the shrine's long history.

Since then, at the shrine, on behalf of successive emperors, prayers for the Imperial Family - prayers for peace throughout the world, bountiful harvests, prosperity for future generations, and other peace and security for the nation as well as the happiness of the people - have been offered to the Imperial Ancestors and rituals have been held daily.
In other words, originally, the shrine was not a place for individuals to offer prayers for themselves. For a long time, only aristocrats and military commanders were allowed to visit, and it was only during the Meiji period that the emperor himself began to visit.

By the way, the number of ceremonies currently held each year is about 1,500! How grateful and encouraging it is to know that, without our even knowing, so many people are praying for the peace of the nation and the happiness of each and every citizen.

It has been more than 700 years since ordinary people began making pilgrimages to Ise.
Why Japanese people still visit Ise

On the other hand, worship by ordinary people, in other words, visiting Ise Shrine, is said to have begun towards the end of the Heian period. However, it wasn't until the Kamakura period, when the transportation network developed, that it became more and more common.
At the same time, the Mongol Empire, which was shaking the entire Eurasian continent at the time, invaded Japan in 4.
At that time, when prayers were offered to the wind god enshrined in the Inner Shrine and Outer Shrine, a sudden wind arose, forcing the Mongolian army ships to retreat, and the legend that the god sent a divine wind to protect Japan spread.

The common people began to understand that the deity enshrined at the shrine is not only the ancestor of the imperial family, but also protects each and every citizen.

During its long history, the shrine has seen ups and downs, including a period of decline due to the effects of continuous wars, but during the Edo period, the shrine's traditions were restored and "Okage Mairi" (visiting the shrine to pray to the deity) became extremely popular.
"Mikage" refers to the protection and blessings of unseen beings such as gods, Buddhas, and ancestors. The Okage Mairi was a pilgrimage that ordinary people made to Ise to give thanks for this.

It is true that there is much we do not know about this ancient shrine, but what is certain is that the shrine as it is today was created through the daily offerings of food to the gods and the constant prayers and gratitude that have been given to them.

Watching the priest calmly and solemnly offering food, each action swiftly and without cutting corners, it occurred to me that prayer is not something emotional or conceptual, but something that resides in the act of performing a ritual.

Text by Misa Horiuchi

Writer

When I went to Europe to cover classical music, I was asked a lot of questions about Japan.This experience of being unable to answer most of the questions prompted him to begin researching Japanese music, culture, and prayer.This year marks his 16th year. His books include "Adult Nara: A journey to clear your mind" and "Adult Nara: A journey through breathtaking views" (both published by Tankosha), and "The World of Kamuy" (published by Shinchosha).

Photo by Akihiko Horiuchi

Photographers
He currently photographs mainly shrines and Japanese prayers. His photo books include "Ainu Prayers" (Kyuryudo) and "To the Forest of Brahms' Music" (Sekai Bunka Publishing). He is also a photographer who loves Bach, Evans, and sacred mountains.