Ise Grand Shrine — Inner Shrine (Naikū)

The Inner Shrine (Kōtai Jingū) of Ise Grand Shrine stands in Ise, Mie Prefecture, along the clear waters of the Isuzu River at the foot of Kamiji Mountain. The sacred precinct encompasses approximately 5,500 hectares and includes ninety-three subsidiary shrines. According to the *Nihon Shoki* (Chronicles of Japan, 720 CE), the shrine was established during the reign of Emperor Suinin when the princess Yamato-Hime-no-Mikoto, seeking a suitable seat for Amaterasu-no-Omikami, travelled the realm and chose the upper reaches of the Isuzu River.

The principal enshrined kami (shusaijin) is Amaterasu-no-Omikami, described in the *Kojiki* (Records of Ancient Matters, 712 CE) as the supreme sovereign of Takamagahara, the plain of high heaven, and the ancestral kami of the imperial line. She is attended by Ame-no-Tajikarao-no-Mikoto and Yorozu-Hata-Toyoaki-Tsu-Hime-no-Mikoto. The object of veneration (goshintai) is the Yata-no-Kagami, one of the Three Imperial Regalia, said to be the sacred mirror granted to the descendant of heaven during the descent of the heavenly grandson.

Social tradition records the first ritual rebuilding (shikinen-sengū) took place in 690 CE under Emperor Jitō, establishing a cycle that has continued every twenty years to the present day. The shrine appears in the *Engishiki* (Procedures of the Engi Era, 927 CE) Register of Shrines as the chief of the Ise network. Throughout the year, over a thousand ritual observances—including the Kanname Festival in October, monthly festivals, purification rites, and the ceremonial removal and enshrinement that accompany each rebuilding—are conducted according to ancient custom.