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https://theprepared.org/features-feed/ise-jingu-and-the-pyramid-of-enabling-technologies>
"Our buildings are often long lived things, capable of outlasting the society
that produced them. The Egyptian Pyramids are still with us, thousands of years
after the civilization that produced them collapsed. The shrine of Ise Jingu is
an interesting contrast to this - the buildings there are always young,
perpetually renewed by a thousand-year old cultural practice.
The Ise Jingu Grand Shrine sits in the forests of Ise-Shima National Park, in
Japan’s Mie Prefecture. Ise Jingu (or simply Jingu) is a Shinto shrine dating
back over 2000 years, and is one of the most important and sacred Shinto sites
in Japan, standing at the top of all other shrines. More than 1500 rituals are
held at Jingu every year, to pray for the Imperial family, a bountiful harvest,
and a peaceful world.
The complex itself is spread over an area the size of Paris and consists of two
large shrines, Naiku and Geku, and 123 smaller shrines. Naiku, the inner
shrine, is dedicated to the worship of the sun goddess Amaterasu, and Geku, the
outer shrine, is dedicated to Toyouke-Ōmikami, the god of agriculture, rice,
and industry. Millions of pilgrims and tourists visit Jingu each year, but are
strictly prevented from approaching Naiku and Geku, which are hidden behind
large fences.
Jingu is famous for its tradition of periodic reconstruction, known as Shikinen
sengu, or simply sengu. Every 20 years exact copies of Naiku, Geku, and 14
other shrines are built on empty sites next to the existing structures, after
which the old structures are torn down. Altogether 65 buildings, bridges,
fences, and other structures are rebuilt this way. This reconstruction at Jingu
has taken place every 20 years (with some interruptions) for over 1300 years,
since the first sengu took place around 690 AD."
Via Susan ****
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
