Eternity through renewal
Ise Jingu shrine readies for ceremonial rebuild
Change is underway at Japan's most revered Shinto shrine, Ise Jingu, as local residents in June completed the first ceremonial haul of lumber for its once-in-a-generation renewal.
Officially known as "Jingu," the shrine in central Japan's Mie Prefecture is in the early stages of the Shikinen Sengu, a traditional renewal held every 20 years in which its deities are ceremonially transferred to newly built sanctuaries.
Dating back some 2,000 years, Jingu is dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, the mythical ancestral deity of the Imperial Family, venerated as the guardian of Japan.
(Courtesy of Jingu Chokokan Museum & Jingu Agriculture Museum)
(Courtesy of Jingu Chokokan Museum & Jingu Agriculture Museum)
Over a period of eight years, sanctuaries at Jingu’s two main shrines -- Toyouke Daijingu (Geku, the outer shrine) and Kotai Jingu (Naiku, the inner shrine) -- along with auxiliary shrines and other structures, will be dismantled and rebuilt on adjacent sites.
Ise Jingu's Geku outer shrine.
Ise Jingu's Geku outer shrine.
The principal deity will be transferred to their new sanctuary in 2033 in a ceremony conducted at a time determined by the emperor.
Ise Jingu's Naiku inner shrine.
Ise Jingu's Naiku inner shrine.
Hauling the sacred lumber
Of the 33 festivals and events related to the Shikinen Sengu, the ceremonial transport of sacred lumber during the Okihiki festival is the most vibrant.
The festival is a rare opportunity for the public to take part in Jingu’s renewal, especially for residents of Ise, whose ancestors regarded themselves as subjects of the shrine’s sacred land and provided labor for the hauling.
Across the first round of processions in May and June, around 58,000 residents and worshippers from around Japan formed groups to pull decorative carts bearing the lumber through the streets to Jingu’s outer shrine where it was presented as an offering.
Participants were in full voice on June 13, the final day, chanting and singing work songs as they hauled their lumber-laden carts along the 2-kilometer course despite the searing heat.
Takashi Morita, 62, joined the first round of processions to take part in his third Shikinen Sengu.
“As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to understand Jingu's significance more, and to appreciate what a privilege it is to live in this area,” he said. “Whenever this event takes place, I make sure to take part.”
For Nachi Uemura, Jingu has always been a familiar presence. She remembers riding her bike to play around the outer shrine as a child, although she was not so interested in joining the processions.
“Now that I am a bit older and have the opportunity to take part in such an important event, which is only held every 20 years, I decided to join in and I'm glad I did,” she said. “People from all over Japan want to visit Jingu at least once, so I feel a real sense of pride and happiness living right here in Ise.”
Ise Mayor Kenichi Suzuki was also among the procession participants on the final day. Speaking to reporters, Suzuki said he recognizes the long-standing traditions behind the Shikinen Sengu and is committed to passing them down to the next generation, in the right spirit.
Photo taken at Ise Jingu’s Naiku inner shrine, during the 58th Shikinen Sengu, in October 1929. (Kyodo)
Photo taken at Ise Jingu’s Naiku inner shrine, during the 58th Shikinen Sengu, in October 1929. (Kyodo)
“Ise is not a theme park, so the most important thing is that we respond to the needs of people for whom Jingu holds special meaning,” he said.
Priests and Imperial Household Agency musicians proceed toward the new building at Ise Jingu's Naiku inner shrine during a Shikinen Sengu ceremony in October 2013. (Kyodo)
Priests and Imperial Household Agency musicians proceed toward the new building at Ise Jingu's Naiku inner shrine during a Shikinen Sengu ceremony in October 2013. (Kyodo)
Around 360 logs will be transported in processions over the next two years. The next round, hauling lumber up the Isuzu River to the inner shrine, takes place in July and August.
Photos (above and background) taken near Ise Jingu's Naiku inner shrine show the opening ceremony of the Okihiki lumber festival on April 12, 2026. (Courtesy of the Ise Shikinen Sengu Committee)
Photos (above and background) taken near Ise Jingu's Naiku inner shrine show the opening ceremony of the Okihiki lumber festival on April 12, 2026. (Courtesy of the Ise Shikinen Sengu Committee)
A major undertaking
Jingu’s latest renewal -- its 63rd -- will cover around 170 structures (including those not subject to Shikinen Sengu ceremonies), requiring an estimated 11,000 hinoki cypress trees and the skills of around 100 traditional shrine carpenters, according to Jingu officials.
A sacred tree is felled using traditional techniques in preparation for Ise Jingu's 63rd Shikinen Sengu. Photo taken in Agematsu, Nagano Prefecture, in June 2025. (Kyodo)
A sacred tree is felled using traditional techniques in preparation for Ise Jingu's 63rd Shikinen Sengu. Photo taken in Agematsu, Nagano Prefecture, in June 2025. (Kyodo)
Despite the scale of the renewal, the new sanctuaries will appear almost identical to the structures they replace when they are finally ready for the ceremonial transfer of the deities, with the latest Shikinen Sengu conducted much as the first was around 1,300 years ago.
Roofing work is carried out at the Geku outer shrine during the 62nd Shikinen Sengu in November 2012. (Kyodo)
Roofing work is carried out at the Geku outer shrine during the 62nd Shikinen Sengu in November 2012. (Kyodo)
The process of rebuilding and relocating the dwellings of its deities, rather than housing them in permanent stone structures, is, according to the shrine, its expression of eternity.
Photo shows new buildings (L) at Ise Jingu's Geku outer shrine for the 62nd Shikinen Sengu in September 2013. (Kyodo)
Photo shows new buildings (L) at Ise Jingu's Geku outer shrine for the 62nd Shikinen Sengu in September 2013. (Kyodo)
Six months after the transfer, former shrine buildings will be dismantled and the materials delivered to shrines across Japan for renovation and construction projects, according to Jingu officials.
Sengukan Museum opened in the precincts of Jingu’s outer shrine in 2012, toward the end of the last Shikinen Sengu. The museum aims to promote understanding of what it considers to be Japan’s largest festival.
Exhibits include those related to the crafting of sacred garments and treasures dedicated to Jingu's deities, as well as decorative ornaments for shrines, all of which are remade for the renewal -- 1,576 items in total.
Museum curator Ichiro Fukada, 54, believes the renewal of the items makes a significant contribution to the preservation of Japan’s craft heritage.
At the museum’s full-scale replica of one side of the main sanctuary at Jingu’s outer shrine, Fukada pointed to ornamental orbs on the railings, which many visitors mistake for giant gemstones. “The real essence of the Shikinen Sengu can be found here,” he said.
If ornaments like the orb were made from gemstones, every 20 years they would have to be remade with the same precious material for the Shikinen Sengu.
But craftsmen actually make the orbs by shaping hollow spheres from sheets of copper, which are then coated with lacquer.
Rather than use force or wealth to accumulate resources they did not possess, Japan’s ancestors used the materials they had at hand and through the skills of master craftsmen created items like the orbs. “I think this reflects the foundation of Japanese craftsmanship,” he said.
While some visitors are surprised by the scale of the renewal, Fukada says it is best understood not as a one-off event but as the accumulation of daily and annual practices.
“By understanding that these traditions are renewed every twenty years, we can appreciate the wisdom of our ancestors, who created a form of eternity through the process,” he said.
The modern pilgrimage
While Sengukan has also contributed to the revival of the town around the entrance to Geku, encouraging visitors to make a complete Jingu pilgrimage by visiting both the main shrines, Naiku remains more popular.
Jingu’s inner shrine, dedicated to Amaterasu-Omikami, welcomed 5.06 million visitors in 2025, compared to 2.67 million visitors to the outer shrine, according to Jingu officials.
The town around the entrance to Naiku flourished during the Edo Period (1603-1868) when pilgrimages to Jingu became popular among the public. Today, the area known as Oharai-machi is busy with visitors shopping for souvenirs and hungry for traditional dining experiences.
Okage Yokocho, a collection of around 50 shops and restaurants designed to reflect the atmosphere experienced by worshippers during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, opened in the area in 1993 during the 61st Shikinen Sengu.
Among the stores, restaurant Fukusuke serves local favorite Ise udon. The thick, soft flour noodles in a broth made from dried bonito and kelp were served as a quick and easy dish for traveling worshippers and remain popular today.
Nearby is the main store of Akafuku, a confectioner established in the early 18th century as a tea house welcoming Jingu’s pilgrims, where customers come for the famous Akafuku mochi.
The pounded rice cake, topped with sweet azuki red bean paste, is shaped into three ripples by artisans to symbolize the waters of the Isuzu River, which flow behind the store.
From the busy streets, worshippers and visitors cross the Uji Bridge, spanning the Isuzu River, to enter Naiku’s precincts. It is a short walk between two worlds -- from the business of daily life to Jingu’s sacred realm where a plot of land next to the deity’s main sanctuary remains empty, for now.
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