Ise Shrine
A shrine located in the city of Ise in Mie Prefecture that maintains ancient Nara-period rites and attracts worshippers from throughout Japan
Ise Shrine, encompassing an Inner Shrine (Kotai Jingu) and Outer Shrine (Toyuke Daijingu), is located in Ise City, Mie Prefecture. Its official name is simply “Jingu” (The Shrine). Enshrined in the Inner Shrine is Amaterasu-Omikami, the ancestral deity of the Imperial lineage, and in the Outer Shrine, Toyuke-no-Omikami, the deity of the five grains. After the Yata Mirror enshrined in the imperial court was transferred to Kasanui Village in Yamato Province in the time of Emperor Sujin (r. 97–30 bce), a shrine was constructed along the upper Isuzu River in Ise Province in the subsequent reign of Emperor Suinin (r. 29 bce–70 ce). This is said to have been the origin of the Inner Shrine. The Outer Shrine is said to have originated during the reign of Emperor Yuryaku (r. 456–479) from the transfer of Toyuke-no-Omikami as the deity who would make offerings of food and drink to Amaterasu-Omikami. The shrine’s priesthood consisted of the following hereditary positions: the saigu (an unmarried Imperial princess serving the shrine’s deity) at the highest position (abolished in the time of Emperor Godaigo, r. 1318–1339); the saishu (head of festivals), filled from the Fujinami family; the guji (shrine administrator), filled from the Kawabe family; the negi (senior priest) of the Inner Shrine, filled from the Arakida family; and the negi of the Outer Shrine, filled from the Watarai family. Ise Shrine is supported by fuko (vassal households allotted to the shrine) and shinden (rice fields whose yields are dedicated to the shrine), and from the 10th century on its estates were called mikuriya or misono. In the middle of the Kamakura period there appeared shinkan and oshi priests who mediated prayers and hohei offerings. As Ise pilgrimages gained popularity in the Muromachi period (1392–1507), the town district in front of the gates to the shrine developed. In the Edo period (1603–1867) there were mass pilgrimages by the general populace such as okage-mairi (thanks-to-the-gods pilgrimages). The shrine consists of the Main Hall at the center, with the Eastern Treasure Hall and Western Treasure Hall attached to it. These are surrounded by four fences: the Mizugaki, Ichi no Tamagaki, Ni no Tamagaki, and Itagaki. The Main Hall’s architecture is called Shinmei-zukuri (raised floor, gabled roof, and entry from a non-gabled side), the oldest form of shrine architecture. The shrine’s largest observance is the Shrine Rebuilding Festival, occurring once every twenty years, in an ancient tradition followed since the Nara period (710–794), and performed for the 62nd time in 2013. Festivals held annually include the Kanname-sai (offering the year’s harvests to the deity), Tsukinami-sai (praying for the nation’s peace and the Emperor’s longevity), Kinen-sai (praying for bountiful harvests of the five grains), Niiname-sai (celebrating harvests and praying for bountiful harvests next year), and Kanmiso-sai (presenting garments of silk or hemp to the deity).
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伊勢神宮の写真（明治5年）
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Past Exhibitions
| Title | shusai | Place | open | close |
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Institutions Holding Related Materials
神宮徴古館は伊勢神宮の祭祀に関する資料や神宝、神宮農業館は神饌や農林水産関係の資料を展示している。
三重県多気郡明和町竹川にある県立博物館で、伊勢神宮に仕えた皇女・斎王と居所である斎宮の歴史を紹介する。斎宮跡は国指定史跡。
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伊勢神宮の歴史、建物、神話、行事などについて掲載。
伊勢神宮について、「地」「祈り」「産霊」「天」のタイトルがついた動画を閲覧できる。