(thatched gable roofs), the Kagura-den has a hipped-and-gable roof (irimoya style) with copper shingles. See page 37 for roof styles.
The “Historical” Record
According to tradition, long ago, in the Age of the Gods, Ninigi-no-Mikoto, grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu-Ōmikami, was presented with a mirror by his grandmother and sent to rule over the land of Japan. His grandmother informed him that the mirror would serve as a symbol of her presence. Ninigi took a beautiful goddess as his consort, but when he refused to take an older, ugly sister as well, the father put a curse on Ninigi’s offspring so their lives would be short. Thus the human race was born. Succeeding emperors kept Ninigi’s sacred mirror in their palaces, where it was worshipped as a manifestation of the sun goddess. Some time in the latter part of the third century CE, during the final years of the Yayoi Period, the eleventh emperor, Suinin, built a permanent shrine for the mirror and ordered the princess Toyo-sukiiri-hime-no-mikoto to serve the sun goddess as the representative of the imperial family. This system of having a “princess-shaman” as head priest at Ise remained in effect until the Muromachi Period (1333–1573).
This wooden lantern on the grounds of Ise Jingū harmonizes with the architectural style of the complex.
Interior of a shrine at Takachiho in Kyushu where Ninigi-no-Mikoto, grandson of the sun goddess, is said to have descend-ed to a nearby mountain. On the altar is a mirror representing one of the three symbols of divine authority (the other two being the sword and the jewel) received from the sun goddess herself.
Rebuilding Program
The shrines are rebuilt every twenty years, a policy begun by the Emperor Temmu in 685, over a century after the formal introduction of Buddhism and the invasion of Chinese culture. It was probably to guard against such growing influence that the rebuilding program was instituted. While many other shrines were rapidly adopting Chinese characteristics, such as curved roofs and painted wood, the straight-line Shimmei style and the use of natural materials was maintained at Ise. Some features, however, such as the metal fittings, the north–south orientation of the buildings, and the design of the gates, appear to be due to continental influence.
The rebuilding program requires a massive expenditure of resources, time, and money since it involves replacing sixty-five structures and approximately 16,000 artifacts that fill them. This requires a small army of carpenters, thatchers, sculptors, metal workers, cloth makers, and other craftspeople. The rebuilding program commences twelve years after the completion of the preceding program and takes eight years to complete. It is accompanied by thirty-two major rituals, beginning with cutting nearly 14,000 hinoki (Japanese cypress or white cedar) trees from an imperial forest preserve in the Kiso mountains of Nagano Prefecture. The trees are floated down the river to a site on the Ise Jingū grounds where priest-carpenters employ ancient tools and rituals to begin fashioning timbers for the new buildings. Thatching the new shrines requires around 25,000 bundles of mountain reeds (kaya).
Major buildings are built on adjoining lots where structures from the previous twenty-year cycle were dismantled. At the center of each vacant lot is a miniature wooden building that covers a hinoki stick that marks the spot where the sacred “heart pillar” under the center of the new building will be erected. The newly constructed buildings are supposed to be exact copies of the old shrines. After the new shrines have been authenticated by the priests, the old shrines are torn down and their materials are given to tributary shrines throughout Japan. This method ensures a faithful transmission of the old style. Although there have been several lapses in this rebuilding program, the shrines at Ise Jingū were rebuilt for the 62nd time in 2013.
Painting of a pilgrimage to Ise. Pilgrimages became very popular during the Edo Period since travel was safe and people had more money than in previous periods. In 1830, for example, 4,600,000 people visited Ise during a six-month period. Some-times, those who could not make the pilgrimage sent their dogs with friends or relatives to be blessed by the priests at Ise. This illustration is a detail from a scroll by Tanaka Ekishin, housed in the Jingū Chōkokan Museum near Ise Jingū. Photograph courtesy of the Jingū Chōkokan Museum.
THE MAIN SANCTUARY AT THE NAIKŪ
The main sanctuary at the Naikū is a raised rectangular structure, three bays wide by two bays deep, made of hinoki (Japanese cypress) harvested from a forest preserve deep in the mountains. The unpainted wood gradually changes in color over its twenty-year lifespan, from golden brown to gray. Perhaps the most impressive feature is the large roof thatched with the stems of a mountain reed. The roof ridge is supported by two free-standing pillars sunk directly into the earth in the hottatebashira style used in preceding Jōmon and Yayoi elevated storehouses. The walls also rest upon heavy pillars that support the raised floor, which is surrounded by a graceful veranda with a handrail. A sacred post stands under the middle of the floor, above which the sacred mirror is kept in a container resting on a stand. The entrance is in the middle of one of the long sides, a style called hirairi. To avoid an imbalance, the roof thatch narrows as it rises, as do the huge pillars that support the ridgepole. At each end of the roof, the roof poles cross and extend beyond to form the chigi (forked finials). This helps balance the massive outward slope of the roof. Laid across the ridgepole is a row of long, close-set pegs, the katsuogi—ten at the Naikū and nine at the Gekū, reflecting their difference in status. The long slender pegs extending from the gable ends, four on each side of the ridgepole, are known as muchikake.
Ainu Buildings
Until recently, the Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan, lived in small, seasonal settlements (kotan), located in food-gathering areas. For example, in spring they lived along the seashore where they collected fish and seaweed; in summer they lived in the mountains where they hunted animals and collected wild vegetables and berries; and in winter they lived in valleys protected from wind and snow.
Traditional Dwellings
The simplest type of dwelling was a kashi. It consisted of a tripod whose sides were covered with branches and woven mats. It was large enough to provide shelter from the rain for a family of four or five. When more room was needed, a beam was placed between two sets of tripods and the sides enclosed to create a kucha, which housed up to ten people.
A chise, a larger house with a roof set on walls, allowed enough space to stand up, make a fire, and do other kinds of indoor work. Upon entering a chise from the semu (entrance and storage area), one found a large room with small windows and an earth floor, in the middle of which was a square fire pit with mats on both sides. On one side of the room was a raised area on which were placed articles such as lacquer boxes and sacred objects made of shaved wood (inaw). Hanging from the smoke-blackened rafters were bows and arrows for hunting.
Traditionally, chise houses were constructed on a river bank so that the sacred objects could face upstream where the gods were believed to reside. A chise lasted around ten years or longer, depending upon how well it was constructed and maintained.
The chise house shown in the drawing on this page has walls and roof consisting of bundles of reeds or bamboo
