Background

Ise Shrine

Among the earliest known sacred structures in Japan are the shrines associated
with the Shinto religion, an indigenous system of belief that pre-dates
the importation of Buddhism from China in the 6th century. Shinto is an
animistic religion centered on the spirits or "kami" that dwell
in natural settings like trees, rocks, and mountains and are responsible
for natural events. Early Shinto shrines were usually found at the very
site where the kami was thought to dwell, whether at the base of a mountain
or at the foot of a particularly magnificent tree. On special occasions
the resident kami would be lured into a portable shrine placed at the inhabited
site; the portable vessel would be carried on a pole during celebrations,
or brought out into an agricultural field to bless it and assure a good
harvest. The shrines at Ise may be modeled on these prototypes, which resembled
small wooden houses. A variety of devices are used in Shinto architecture
to mark or enclose the sacred dwelling spot of the kami. The Shinto gate,
or "torii," at left marks the spectacular coastal landscape of
the Itsukushima shrine at Miyajima Island. At right, rope and paper are
used to mark off sacred terrain at the Shimogamo shrine in Kyoto; rows of
sake bottles in the background also signal this as a Shinto site, as the
spirits are thought to appreciate that beverage. <BR>