Design
Ise Shrine
Both Naiku Inner) and Gekku (Outer) complexes at Ise consist of rectangular white gravel precincts surrounded by wooden fences that enclose groups of small shrine structures and treasure houses organized along a strong north-south axis. The drawing at right shows the arrangement of the Inner shrine, with a large shrine building at the center, flanked by smaller matching treasure houses. The Outer shrine group is very similarly organized. Adjacent to each shrine precinct is an empty site of equal dimension; at Ise the entire shrine group is ritually rebuilt every twenty years on this "alternate site." This unusual practice of site alternation, which recalls rural patterns of crop rotation, is meant to guarantee the perpetual freshness and purity of the shrines.
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