Ken@Japan

Ise Grand Shrine is the  most sacred shrine in Japan, comprised of two main buildings, 14 sub buildings, and 112 annexes.  These 128 shrines are located throughout Mie Prefecture and this shrine complex is officially called  “ Jingu （神宮） -the deities ’  palace ”  collectively. That said, people have called it   “ Ise Jingu ”  by pointing out that the two main buiding s, which are the central parts of the shrine ’ s religious service, are located in Ise city, Mie.  “ Grand Shrine ”  is an English word corresponding to “ Jingu ” . The two main buildings are   “ Koutai-Jingu Shrine （皇大神宮）”  and   “ Toyo-uke dai-jingu （豊受大神宮）” . The former is   called   “ Nai-ku （内宮 : Inner Shrine ）”  and the latter is   “ Ge-ku （外宮 : Outer Shrine ）”  popularily. In the inner shrine, Amaterasu-oo-mikami (Amaterasu), who is said to be the great ancestor of the imperial family and the supreme female deity representi...

The imperial family of Japan is deeply correlated to the nation's  indigenous  religion; shintoism. The mythology says that its founder-the first emperor is a divine  descendant  from the heaven above where divine beings are situated, and legendarily  the current emperor Akihito is its 126th heir. Based on this custom, the emperor himself serves the religious festivals periodically in a special shrine alter located within his imperial palace in Tokyo （宮中三殿： Kyu-chu sanden   – the three inner shrines in the   palace). In some occasions, the empress Michiko is with him for its religious service. Some articles report that the crown prince Naruhito has represented some of his father ’ s religious duties as the father is too old to stand the physical stress coming f r om the services as they should appear with a heavy traditional outfits and  solemn  manners based on its 2673-year traditions during the service. The imperial family held its c...