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4h ago

Ise Jingu Begins 63rd Rebuilding Cycle

The scheduled renewal preserves Shinto craftsmanship through a deliberate 20-year practice.

Cypress trees stand at the Akasawa national forest, where cypress trees are felled for a Shinto ritual, in Agematsu, central Japan, Monday, June 2, 2025 (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Priests and officials in the Shinto priesthood march during Yamaguchisai, a kickoff ceremony of the Shikinen Sengu ritual, which concludes in 2033, at Kotaijingu, also known as Naiku, or the inner sanctuary, of the Jingu shrine complex in Ise, central Japan, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Shinto priests march into the main palace of Toyoukedaijingu, also known as Geku, or the outer sanctuary, of the Ise Jingu shrine complex as they begin Yamaguchisai, a kickoff ceremony of Shikinen Sengu, concluding in 2033, in Ise, central Japan, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Shinto officials in the priesthood use wooden poles to move sacred timbers under the roof at the end of Mihishirogi Hoeishiki, a ceremony of the Shikinen Sengu ritual to rebuild main structures of the Jingu shrine complex for Shinto deities, in Ise, central Japan, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Overview

  • AP journalists are documenting the start of the 63rd cycle as demolition, ceremonial tree-felling, and log transport begin.
  • All 125 shrine buildings and more than 1,500 garments and ritual objects will be recreated using inherited techniques, with 33 rites culminating in a 2033 transfer of the presiding deity.
  • The effort is a roughly $390 million project expected to take about nine years and it employs master carpenters, woodcutters, builders, and artisans.
  • Ise’s inner sanctuary venerates the sun goddess Amaterasu and the complex attracts about seven million pilgrims annually, with thousands gathering for rebuilding ceremonies.
  • The process follows Shinto observances that include seeking permission from mountain deities, secret nighttime purification rites, and the use of cypress groves managed across generations.