1600 YearReconstructionHistoryofJapansIseShrine

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2000 Year Reconstruction History of Japan's Ise Shrine

History of Pre-modern architecture

March 12, 201

Kamigataya kanda Tokyo, Sakurafuchi

櫻淵 Postcard circa 1905http://inishinois!"#og!so$nt!n!%p/&00'$0($1)

Stone !ui"din#s are tyranny$ %heir hard &earin# faces are formed !y force, and



&ithstand the test of time so "on# as no #reater force dedicates itse"f it that!ui"din#s demise$ (e ha)e, in the &est, a stron# history of stone !ui"din#s and&ith fe& e*ceptions this is than+s to a history of despotism often accompanied !ys"a)ery$ %hese resu"tin# !ui"din#s and their indifference to anythin# "ess than adestructi)e force are the centerpiece of our architectura" history, and &e re&ard

their persistence &ith scho"ar"y attention$

%here is another history$ It is out of a!horrence that &e mi#ht turn our #ae a&ayfrom !ui"din#s &ho stri)e to immorta"ie their commissioners, and "oo+ instead toJapan &ere in a "on# history of natura" disasters has indentured its peop"e to theidea that neither architecture nor society is e)er"astin#$ %he medium of &ood, incontrast to stone, reuires up+eep and a "e#acy of tradesmen to maintain, and itIt is these that ma+e the .rand Shrines of Ise such a compe""in# !ui"din#$ /""scho"ar"y ana"ysis of the !ui"din#s form hear+ens !ac+ onto the conc"usion thatthe !ui"din#s form is that of a )ernacu"ar #rain si"o, a"!eit an em!e""ished one$ 1 2

%his ma+es the Ise .rand Shrines of Japan in pecu"iar !ui"din# to study$ y far itsmost nota!"e feature is its periodica" reconstruction - &hich has ta+en p"ace e)ery20 years since the year 00$ %his definin# trait isnt so much a feature of the!ui"din# itse"f, !ut rather that of the socio re"i#ious frame&or+ surroundin# the!ui"din#$ %o further the idea of the Ise #rand shrine !ein# a socia" centerpiece it isinterestin# to +no& that it is direct"y sty"ed after a )ernacu"ar #rain si"o, a"!eit anem!e""ished one$ %hat such a hum!"e !ui"din# mi#ht !e the epicentre of 3apanesenationa"ism, the physica" domici"e for the #od of the sun, and the shrine from&hich the emperor dra&s his po&er is a c"ue that the Ise cant !e understood

simp"y as a !ui"din#$ %he shrines fee!"e physica" presence, !ut !oisterousidentity has "ed to fascinatin# physica" interpo"ations !y its &orshippers &hichdeser)e ana"ysis &hen understandin# the shrines importance$

%he History of Ise &ou"d !e an unchan#in# cyc"e of reconstructions if it &ere not

1 /dams, 4assandra$ 1556$ 7Japan's Ise Shrine and its %hirteen-Hundred-Year-8"dReconstruction %radition$7 Journa" of /rchitectura" 9ducation :156-; 2 :1;< =0$

2 /sahi Shin!unsha, >en? %an#e, and @o!oru >a&aoe$ 15=$ 7Ise, Prototype ofJapanese /rchitecture$7 In $ 4am!rid#e, Mass$< M$I$%$ Press$

oc+, Ae"icia .$ 15B$ 7%he Rites of Rene&a" at Ise$7 Monumenta @ipponica 25 :1;< =6$

H"adi+, Murie""e$ 2000$ 7Ise< Japan's Ise Shrines, /ncient and @e&7 /rchitectured'/u3ourd'Hui :26;< $

Au+uyama, %oshio$ 15=1$ 7%he Ise Shrine$7 Japan /rchitect =< 12$



for a series mass pi"#rima#es, ca""ed okagemairi in the years 1=0, 1=2, 1B0,1BB1 and 160$ If &e are to ta+e the estimates of the historian Motoori @orina#a,20 000 pi"#rims cross #ates "eadin# to Ise pro)ince durin# one day of the 1B0mass pi"#rima#e$ He estimates the tota" num!er of )isitors in fifty days to !ec"ose to =20 000 - an astonishin# num!er &hen consider the popu"ation of

Japan to !e 25 mi""ion$=

8f these fi)e #reat of pi"#rima#es to Ise &ere as much asone si*th of the country mi#ht tra)e" to Ise in one year, not a sin#"e one of thepi"#rims ha)e actua""y reached the shrine as it has !een &a""ed from )ie&$ &hatfo""o&s is a chronic"e of %he Ise .rand shrines identity, recounted to us today !ythe artifacts of the shrines patrons$

8ne of the amain# !yproducts of these massi)e okagemairi pi"#rima#es &as a

proprietary money system for those tra)e""in# to Ise$ %he Yamano hagaki 6

is

= Harada %omohi+o原田伴彦 and /sa+ura @aohi+o 朝倉治彦$@ihon shomin sei+atsushiry? shCsei日本庶民生活史料集成 Do"$ 11 :%o+yo< Sanichi Sho!?, 15B0;< p$101

B Yamato Ha#a+i note, in on wash paper, 15B0 :an+ of 3apan, currency museum,%o+yo;$ http<EE&&&$imes$!o3$or$3pEresearchEpapersE3apaneseE11-J-20$pdf

6 ca""ed Yamano-hagaki *+-



second o"dest paper currency in the &or"d and &as first used !y pi"#rims at Ise$ It&as initia""y used !y pi"#rims &ho tra)e"ed to ise and cou"dnt carry the meta"money common"y used in Japan at the time$ %his paper money &as on"y used !ypi"#rims in the to&n of Ise and &ou"d ha)e !een e*chan#ed upon arri)a" anddeparture of Ise city$ 8ri#ina""y in)ented 1=10, and !ecame an officia" 3apanese

currency 1B50$5

Fespite !ein# !ein# an important monetary de)e"oppement, it&as ori#ina""y in)ented !y Onshi "i)in# Ise area &ho &ere the eui)a"ent of &hat&e +no& as e*orcists$10

/ddin# to the stran#eness of the Ise .rand shrine and its f"ed#"in# moneysystem, &as that it &as considered !ad "uc+ to not #i)e money to a !e##in#pi"#rim$ Ge#ends a!out the di)ine retri!ution that !efe"" upon misers &horefused to pro)ide pi"#rims &ith a"ms circu"ated, for instance, in Shi+o+u, &heree)ery pi"#rim &as !e"ie)ed to !e a potentia" manifestation of Kōbō Daishi.11 12 %his courtesy &as more and more common"y e*p"oited !y those en route to Ise in"ater pi"#rima#es$ Ge that !y stormin# out the door &ith "itt"e more than a

!e##in# !o&" in hand, a #reat many 9do tra)e"ers mana#ed to ma+e it to Ise &itha"" costs practica""y co)ered 1 In this case, some pi"#rims used !e##in# as aform of Gsacred manipu"ation$1

y the "ate pi"#rima#es, the i""icit money system initiated !y the Onsi &as so &e""esta!"ished that rich merchants &ou"d )ie to disperse as much of the money asthey cou"d, in hopes that they mi#ht !e hera"din# #ood fortune from the Ise.rand Shrines or the potentia" Kōbō Daishi $ In 1BB1 >?noi+e enaemon, a&ea"thy 8sa+a merchant, &as sti"" pro)idin# #enerous contri!utions to theokagemairi pi"#rims, #i)in# a"ms to some 16,000 peop"e o)er si* days, for a

#rand tota" of four hundred and si*ty ry?$1

%his &as eui)a"ent to 0 times the

5 .otaro Sakudo 23, 4ationa# ncyc#opdia 678 o#! 11;Tokyo:.oshika<a Ko"unkan, 19(5=: 151

10 8ri#ina""y ca""ed kito-shi >?@

11 4"e)er priest turned #od, 8ri#ina" AB7@

12 aura @eni, 7%o Ise at /"" 4osts,7 Journal of Japanese Religious Studies ! "#$$1%&'

1 I!id, 66$

1 Ian Reader, 7Ma+in# pi"#rima#es< meanin# and practice in Shi+o+u,7 :Honu"u"u<uni)ersity of ha&aii press;< 121, 12

1 Shin3? %sune?新城常三, 7Sha3i to +?tsC< >umano m?de to Ise mairi7 K社寺と交通熊

野詣でと伊!" :%o+yo< Shi!und?, 15=0;< 1



a)era#e year"y &a#e of a "a!ourer $1=

1B

%he &i"d success of the money system e)entua""y "ed to it !ein# assimi"ated !ythe 3apanese #o)ernment, and it is under their contro" that the a!o)e )ariant ofcoin &as de)e"oped$ y 1B50, the 3apanese #o)ernment had put in p"ace "a&sthat attempted to "imit the amount of peop"e &ho cou"d em!ar+ on an okagemairi pi"#rima#e$ Sho&n here on the Ise currency is a &arnin# to a"" those &ho mi#htun"a&fu""y em!ar+ on pi"#rima#es &ithout the ne&"y instated passport "i+e systemsho&n !e"o&$ ecause farmers &antin# to ta+e pi"#rima#es to Ise &ou"d "ose anentire years har)est &hi"e tra)e"in#, meant that mass pi"#rima#es posed the ris+of causin# famines$ Ise pi"#rima#e :authoried and not; &as stron# in Moriyama#$ domain :in the northern LshC re#ion; !ecause a round trip to the shrine&ou"d reuire an a!sence from the fie"ds of at "east forty to fifty days :Au+ai15BB, 1B;$16

1= 8ne hundred mon or eni &as the eui)a"ent of one days &a#e for a day "a!orer:/nne (a"tha"", (he )eak bod* of a +seless )oman, :4hica#o< ni)ersity of 4hica#oPress, 1556;< 1

1B Hara#uchi %orao原%&', %a+euchi %oshimi()*+, Miyamoto %suneichi,本常,7@ihon shomin sei+atsu shiry? shCsei7 日本庶民生活史料集成 12 :%o+yo< Sanichi Sho!?,15B1;< 21

16 Au+ai Jin?-./三, Kinsei ni okeru nukemairi no tenkai to sono shutai CDEFG 012! ;Toyama: Hashira, 19''=: 50



15

If the appropriation of the Ise currency and adoption of the Ise pass system did infact reduce the num!er of okagemairi pi"#rima#es is hard to te"", the num!ers ofpi"#rims seems eeri"y consistent despite "ess and "ess passes !ein# distri!uted$ /suspected 100 000 pi"#rims )isit Ise in 1BB1 and o)er 000 000 a#ain in 160,the difference !ein# that &ith e)ery su!seuent pi"#rima#e more and morepeop"e did so &ithout the proper documentation$ %hese un"a&fu" pi"#rima#ese)en #et their o&n name, ca""ed nukemairi.

/"on# &ith administration "imitin# the num!er of pi"#rims, comes the interestin#

15 Katsu"$mura IJ city <"sit http<EE1st$#eocities$3pEtoyona+atsu!eEise+o$htm"

20 Hiroshig Ltaga<a MNO QRisiting s inguQ co#ord <ood"#ock on washi paper, 16 :Miya#a&a, %o+yo;



occurrence of anima" pi"#rima#es$ If o&ners cou"d not acuire the documentationreuired for a pi"#rima#e, they cou"d send an anima" in their steadN )icarious"y#i)in# the o&ner the e*perience of ha)in# done the pi"#rima#e$ G(e hear rumorsthat e)en co&s and do#s ha)e snea+ed out$ In the midd"e of the fourth monththey ha)e come $$$ from their re#ions$ Youn# and o"d, men and &omen a"i+e, they

a"" ha)e run a&ay$21

Sho&n a!o)e is a depiction of a #reat pi"#rima#e of 1BB1 in&hich a do# can !e seen in the !ottom of the "eft hand pane"$

22

Intrepid e*orcists "i)in# around Ise, e)entua""y +no&n as Onshi , ha)e a ha)e adeep interre"ation throu#hout Ises history$ %his faction actua""y "i)ed in ise and aspi"#rima#es !ecame more popu"ar, they assumed the profita!"e positionam!assadors to the Ise .rand Shrines !y caterin# more and more to the pi"#rims&ho &ere f"oodin# to the area in e)er #reater num!ers$ %hese Onshi :sho&n

a!o)e &e"comin# Ise pi"#rims; mana#ed to systematica""y pander to these most"yma"e pi"#rims &ho initia""y needed p"aces to stay and #uides of the area$ %hese

21 ed?shi345, GSho+o+u nu+emairi yume mono#atari 671!89:, microfi"mfo"ios 2 and :%o+yo< I&anami, 1BB1;

22 Kangtsu Shitomi U VW, Xito Ykisato Z[ \], Th Picturd ^uid of Ss

伊!,;<=> :>yoto and 8sa+a< (aseda ni)ersity archi)es, 1B5B;< =



pi"#rims came &ith money, and &here increasin#"y &e"" funded as the okagemairi

system !ecame further esta!"ished$2

%he f"ed#"in# money system &as used !y pi"#rims and &ou"d supposed"y hera"d#ood fortune to those &ho used it$ %his e)entua""y #a)e rise to an entertainment

district in &hich the most"y ma"e pi"#rims cou"d suander money on prostitutionand #am!"in# &hi"e supposed"y hera"din# #ood fortune$ In the fantastic i""ustrateduidebook to se of 1B5B sho&n a!o)e depicts a !rothe" in &hich some of themost faithfu" shinto 3apanese cou"d common"y !e found$ /main#"y, it is thou#htthat o)er a thousand prostitutes "i)ed in Ise area durin# the 9do era$2

%his ma+es %he ise #rand shrines of the 1th-15th century more a+in to a asDe#as than a Datican 4ity, !ut its important to +no& that this &as a"" a p"oy !y the8nshi to #enerate capita" to pay for the increasin#"y "a)is re!ui"din#s$ It is in this

2 4oriko _u%ii `b, inting of .amada$Hagaki "y Shoguna# fdra#

gornmnt eE*+-jl, nstitut for ontary and conomicStudis ank of ;apan: Tokyo: &01&=: 5q


伊!,;<=> :>yoto and 8sa+a< (aseda ni)ersity archi)es, 1B5B;< 6

2 He"en Hardacre, 7Re"i#ion and the 3apanese &or+force7, Journa" of 3apanese study10 :2000;< 00



)ein that &e hear say of the 4u"t of IseN the Ise .rand Shrine stro)e independentof the #o)ernment &hich had pro)en to !e a &a)erin# source of incomethrou#hout different candidacies$ 9)en today, the Ise #rand shrines are sti""comp"ete"y funded !y pri)ate donations, despite the reconstruction costs !ein#c"ose to 0 mi""ion do""ars in 155$2=

%his f"ed#"in# economy and money system is !ased on the omnipotence of theIse .rand Shrine and one of the pecu"iar !yproducts &hich ha)e propped up inthe shado& of the Ise .rand shrine$ %he /asha#' are another prime e*amp"e ofthis disparity !et&een the re"i#ious si#nificance of the Ise .rand shrines and thenoncha"ant money ma+in# tactics of the Onshi $ /asha are miniature shrines inc"ose pro*imity to "ar#e shrines and are found e)ery&here in Japan$ /t Ise, they&ere found in #reat num!ers and &ere used to #enerate income for the Iseshrines and their reconstructions$ Sho&n a!o)e at the top "eft they &ere carne)a""i+e districts practica""y on the doorstep of the most important shrine in Japan$

Reno&ned historian Saig*o in (he fi0e )omen who lo0ed lo0e comments

2= Ju++a Jo+i"ehto, histor* of ar2hite2tural 2onser0ation :oston< utter&orth-

Heinemann, 1555;< 112

2B Kangtsu Shitomi U VW, Xito Ykisato Z[ \], Th Picturd ^uid of Ss


26 ca##d ?社@A <hos kan%is man: "for, shrin, stp, pray! #ong #inof masha to <hich you pray on "y on, and to <hich charita"# donations giyou #uck



e*p"icit"y on Pi"#rims tra)e""in# to Ise sayin# :comica""y; G@one of the #roup hadany rea" interest in the pi"#rima#e itse"f$ /t Ise they fai"ed to )isit the innershrineO stoppin# on"y at the outer shrine for a fe& minutes and purchasin# theiron"y sou)enirs$ 25 %his &a)erin# commitment to the pi"#rima#e to &as not at a""atypica" of the many peop"e tra)e""in# to Ise$ 8f the historica" documents

recordin# persona" tra)e"s to Ise the persona" e*penses are )ery &e""documented as &e"" as sou)enirs0, &hereas piety seems to !e "ess sosomethin# found to !e important$

Aor a re"i#ious pi"#rim to fret o)er e*penditures and sou)enirs may seemper)erse, !ut it is an indirect !y product of an ear"ier hardship suffered !y the Ise.rand shrines themse")es$ Ise needed money, and it #ot it !y se""in# memora!i"iato pi"#rims$ %hrou#hout the shrines "on# tradition of reconstruction, there &ere!ut t&o eras of interruption$ nder stran#est of po"itica" circumstances, aprimari"y christian &arrior in the 1=th century named 8da @o!una#a too+ contro"of the #o)ernment and p"un#ed Japan into ci)i" &ar$ nder the ru"e of 8da

@o!una#a, Ise shrine had its #o)ernmenta" fundin# comp"ete"y and indefinite"ysuspended, u"timate"y disruptin# its reconstruction for 100 years$1 %hou#h thisinitia""y caused #reat confusion and concerns as to the future of the shrine, itu"timate"y &ou"d resu"t in the en#a#ement of the )ery intrepid Onsi $ %hesepre)ious"y so"d products and pedd"ed "uc+ in the miniature shrines ca""ed sesha

:sho&n !e"o&; !ut those &here destroyed !y the emperor 8da @o!una#a$ theOnsi had propped up a cotta#e industry of entertainment and sou)enirs in theshado& of Ise shrine !ut had had their "i)e"ihood ta+en a&ay !y the despot@o!una#a$

25hara Saikaku , trans#atd "y unnosuk .oshiyuki, _umio Tan"a,Koshoku$^onin$vnna wxz{, :%o+yo< >a&ade-sho!o-shuppan, 200B, 8ri#ina" 1=6=;

0 ca""ed omiageBCD

1 Per+ins, Forothy 3n2*2lopedia of Japan :@e& Yor+, Roundta!"e Press, 1551;< 100



%his &as in an era &here Ise pi"#rima#es &here on"y a sma"" constant tric+"e in





comparison to &hat they &ou"d !ecome, and it &as these Onsi that &ou"dcompe" peop"e to tra)e" from e)ery&here in Japan, to spend a"" their money atIse, and to do so in #reat num!ers$ It &as !y the distri!ution of the Ise ca"endarthat this &as achie)ed$ Japans ca"endar system &as made up of hundreds ofdifferent systems, and the &idespread adoption of the Ise ca"endar, &as the first

&ide"y used ca"endar system in Japan$

(ith this =0 year ca"endar came the #reat pi"#rima#es, &ho &ere "oose"y spaced=0 years apart$ /nd &ith these came the thron#s of faithfu"s in the mi""ions, theOnshi &ere then therefore the har!in#ers of income for the Ise Shrines$Remar+a!"y, the Onshi e*isted up unti" recent"y in sma"" num!ers, and aredepicted here !e"o& in a remar+a!"e practice that persisted unti" modern times$

/s pri)ate donors started to meet the demands of the Ise .rand shrinesreconstruction costs, the Onshi had no more ro"e to p"ay, !ut cou"d sti"" !e seenstandin# under the famous +4i !rid#e "eadin# to the #rand shrine, competin# &itheach other to net a"ms out of the air$ %he tit"e photo of this paper is the sin#"e

photo#raph e)er ta+en of the Onshi !efore their disappearance, circa 150$ It ispeop"e that ma+e architecture, and this is no&here more apparent than at the.rand Shrine of Ise$

Hyogo 4akaga<a |N}~, s •a#ndar 伊E, ink on washi paper

:@ationa" Fiet i!rary, Yamada, Ise, 1B1;

http<EE&&&$nd"$#o$3pE+oyomiEre+ishiE+aire+i021"ar$htm"

vnshi$Kosho €@‚, Y%iro gondayu<atarai hironori ƒ„…2†‡ˆA‰, 19thcntury, ;.amada, s, Su<a Shinto$shrin .okohama=http<EE&&&$shinmeisya$or$3pEpdfEineim01$pdf

http://www.ndl.go.jp/koyomi/rekishi/kaireki02_1_lar.html

http://www.shinmeisya.or.jp/pdf/inei_m01.pdf

http://www.ndl.go.jp/koyomi/rekishi/kaireki02_1_lar.html

http://www.shinmeisya.or.jp/pdf/inei_m01.pdf



%he main shrines resident, the sun #oddess amaterasu, &as said to ha)e oncehidden in a ca)e out of shame, castin# the &or"d into dar+ness$ %his fo"+"oric ta"eis interestin# not !ecause of the sun #oddesses !eha)iour, !ut rather those ofthe remainin# #ods &ho outdo each other hopin# to coa* /materasu from herca)e$ %he intri#uin# competition !et&een the no "ess than ei#ht mi""ion #ods

shares a simi"itude of spirit &ith the cro&ds of faithfu"s &ho ha)e !een meetin#around Ise for a mi""enia$ "timate"y, it is fa!"ed that curiosity as to the stran#ee)ents ta+in# p"ace outside her ca)e possessed /materasu to peer out into thecro&dN &herein she sees a ref"ection of herse"f$ It is thus !y o!ser)in# thecreations and antics of those in re)erence that the Ise #rand shrine itse"f can !eunderstood$

Kangtsu Shitomi U VW ,Xito Ykisato Z[ \] th Picturd ^uid ofs 伊!,;<=> Šasda Lnirsity archis ;Kyoto and vsaka1'9'=: q0;http://<<<!<u#!<asda!ac!%p/kotnski/htm#/ru0q/ru0q‹0)5&Œ/ind!htm#=

1600 YearReconstructionHistoryofJapansIseShrine

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