⛩️ Ise Grand Shrine (Ise Jingu)
Japan
About This Sacred Site
Ise Grand Shrine (Ise Jingu) in Mie Prefecture is the most sacred shrine in Shinto, dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami, the mythical ancestress of the Japanese Imperial family. What makes it truly unique is that it is completely rebuilt from scratch every 20 years in an ancient ritual called Shikinen Sengū, ensuring that the shrine is always new yet faithfully maintains its 2,000-year-old design. The shrine complex encompasses 125 separate shrines spread across a vast forest.
Key Facts
- •Rebuilt every 20 years since 690 CE — the next rebuilding is in 2033
- •The shrine complex includes 125 individual shrines
- •Only the Imperial family and high priests can enter the inner sanctum
- •Houses the Sacred Mirror (Yata no Kagami), one of Japan's Three Sacred Treasures
- •Set within a 5,500-hectare sacred forest with ancient cedar trees
Location
Coordinates: 34.4554, 136.7259
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