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Why is the shrine
removal held every twenty years? |
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There is no clear explanation but the
following is said: Shrine buildings are
made of wood and roofed with thatch. They
can easily decay. Also, 20 years represents
one generation. People can teach ancient
techniques and the traditions of Sengu to
the younger generation. Moreover, new and
fresh is important to Shintoism. There were
shrine removal ceremonies in almost all
shrines in Japan, but only at Ise Jingu
does this tradition continue today. |
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How many logs are needed for
Sengu? |
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| In total there are 65 buildings
and structures which are newly built, including
two main shrines, 14 affiliated shrines, fences,
and torii gates. Forests of 8500 cubic meters
offer Hinoki Cypress timber for the reconstruction
work. Among the cypress trees, there is one that
is 400-years-old and 1 meter in diameter. It takes
10 years to harvest about 23,000 bundles of thatch
for the building roofs. Before Ise Jingu owned
the forests in Kiso, Nagano Prefecture; however,
now they are national forests. At the end of the
Taisho Era (1920s or so), Ise Jingu began growing
woods to be used for Sengu in 200 years. Now it
is also important to train carpenters and roofing
workers because these days they are decreasing
in number. |
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How are destroyed shrines, old
treasures and garments treated? |
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The two large Torii (gates) on both sides of Uji Bridge
are made out of the main pillars of the main shrines
of Geku and Naiku. They had supported the main shrines
of Geku and Naiku for 20 years. After another 20, they
are reused for Torii at Shichiri-no-watashi in Kuwana
and Seki-no-oiwake, the entrances of Ise Sangu Road,
or Ise Pilgrims' Road. After another 20 years, the Torii
of Seki-no-oiwake is used as the pillar of the shrine
and to fix the roof. Most of the materials have been
used for affiliated shrines of Ise Jingu since ancient
days.
Former treasures and clothes were burned or buried in
the ground. Because they were for gods and goddesses,
it was considered too awesome for people to wear. Parts,
however, have been preserved and have been exhibited
in the Jingu Chokokan Museum since the Meiji Era. Drop
by the museum when you pay a visit to Ise Jingu.
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How much does it cost for Sengu? |
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In the Edo Period, the Tokugawa Shogunate covered
part of the expense for sengu. From the Meiji Period
to the pre World War II era, Sengu was the most important
ceremony in Japan because ancestral goddess of the Emperor
was enshrined in Ise Jingu, which belongs to the nation.
Therefore, the nation covered the cost. But post-World
War II, Jingu Shicho ran it. At last, Sengu was paid
for by donations from the people. In 2003, the 61st
Sengu, it will cost 32.7 billion yen. For the next Sengu,
the price estimate is 55.5 billion yen which includes
the cost of remaking clothes, crafts works, and treasures. |
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Is Uji-bashi Bridge also rebuilt
every 20 years? |
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Yes. Like the main and affiliated shrines,
Uji-bashi Bridge is also rebuilt every twenty years.
However, Sengu ceremony had been stopped during the
Warring States Period (1467 - 1568) and though the bridge
was washed out, it was not reconstructed. A nun who
belonged to Keiko-in Temple deeply saddened by the devastation
of Ise Jingu, walked throughout Japan collecting money
for its repair. Finally, the bridge was rebuilt. Her
activity moved many people and a bridge magistrate was
established after Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded in uniting
country.
Main parts of the bridge were built in accordance with
traditional Japanese shipbuilding techniques. Shrine
carpenters make the railings and shipbuilders do the
walking platform. To prevent rainwater from soaking
in the cypress wood and accelerate decay, notches are
carved on both sides of the cypress boards to make them
stick together.
| After completing the bridge, a
bridge-crossing ceremony is held to commemorate
it. In this festival, an elderly woman is chosen
as the first person to cross the bridge and crosses
the bridge along with her husband, one of her
child along with his/ her spouse, and one of her
grandchildren along with his/ her spouse. |
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