Ise Grand Shrine

伊勢大神宮 Ise-daijingû

inner shrine 内宮 Naikû

japanischer Shintô-Schrein

Ise City

Ise-daijingû in the city of Ise consists of 2 places of worship, the Outer Shrine Gekû and the Inner Shrine Naikû. The latter is dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu, the supreme Shintô deity from whom the tennô derives its lineage and mandate to rule. Since the 7th century, the buildings of the two complexes have been dismantled every 20 years, presumably for reasons of cultic purification, and rebuilt at the same time. The Ise shrines, which fit harmoniously into the surrounding nature and represent the simple, pre-Buddhist architectural style, are among the most important Shintô shrines in Japan, along with Atsuta-jingû and Izumo-taisha.