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Ise Grand Shrine, the holiest site of Shinto, Japan's native religion, takes down its main sanctuaries every 20 years and rebuilds them exactly on the plot next door. The custom began in 690 and, despite some long interruptions, continues today; the next rebuilding is due in 2033.

Ise, since 690

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The story behind the card

The rebuilding is called Shikinen Sengū. Along with the buildings, the shrine's furnishings and sacred objects are made anew, and the wooden Uji Bridge at the entrance is rebuilt too. The timber is hinoki, a Japanese cypress. Power tools are not allowed within the shrine grounds, so the work falls to miyadaiku, carpenters trained in traditional shrine building; less experienced carpenters usually learn on the bridge before they work on the sanctuaries. Shinto calls the idea tokowaka, 'ever young': renewing a sacred building keeps it fresh and passes the skills from one generation to the next. The present buildings, from 2013, are the 62nd set. Wars have delayed the cycle more than once, most notably for over a century during Japan's civil wars of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Türkçe oku
Ise Tapınağı, Japonya'nın yerli dini Şinto'nun en kutsal yeridir; ana yapıları her 20 yılda bir sökülür ve hemen yandaki arsada aynen yeniden kurulur. 690'da başlayan bu gelenek zaman zaman uzun aralar verse de bugün sürüyor; bir sonraki yenileme 2033'te yapılacak.
İse, 690'dan beri

Bu yenilemenin adı Shikinen Sengū'dur. Yapılarla birlikte tapınağın eşyaları ve kutsal nesneleri de baştan yapılır, girişteki ahşap Uji Köprüsü de yenilenir. Kereste, bir Japon servi türü olan hinoki ağacından gelir. Tapınak alanında elektrikli alet kullanılmadığı için iş, geleneksel tapınak yapımında yetişmiş ve miyadaiku denen marangozlara düşer. Daha az deneyimli ustalar genellikle önce köprüde pişer, sonra ana yapılara geçer. Şinto bu anlayışa tokowaka, yani “hep genç” der: Kutsal yapıyı yenilemek onu hep taze tutar, ustalığı da kuşaktan kuşağa aktarır. Bugünkü yapılar 2013'te kurulan 62. yapılardır. Döngü savaşlar yüzünden birkaç kez aksadı; en uzun ara, Japonya'nın 15. ve 16. yüzyıldaki iç savaşları sırasında yüz yılı aştı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Ise Grand Shrine
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