July 25, 2025
Ise Jingu sustainability captured in photographs
BY TOSHICHIKA IZUMI, TRANSLATOR: EDAN CORKILL
A tree cut in the mountains for Shikinen Sengu is pulled to the Inner Shrine.
© MASAAKI MIYAZAWA
Sacred trees for the new shrine buildings are laid out in preparation.
© MASAAKI MIYAZAWA
Making dried sea bream in the Outer Shrine of Ise Jingu, where sacred meals have been dedicated to the gods every morning and evening for 1,500 years.
© MASAAKI MIYAZAWA
Rice used in Shinto rituals at Ise Jingu is grown in the shrine’s own paddy fields.
© MASAAKI MIYAZAWA
A scene from the Niinamesai Festival in 2005. This ceremony is held every autumn to express gratitude to the gods through an offering of rice from the year’s harvest.
© MASAAKI MIYAZAWA
A daily offering of a sacred meal during the Niinamesai Festival in the Outer Shrine. The ceremony is held to coincide with the emperor’s offering of new rice to the gods at the Imperial Palace.
© MASAAKI MIYAZAWA
A bridge within the Inner Shrine. The sacred area of Ise Jingu is mostly forested.
© MASAAKI MIYAZAWA
The Chinchisai Matsuri held at the Inner Shrine. in 2008. The ceremony pays respect to the gods of a site where new shrine buildings will be erected.
© MASAAKI MIYAZAWA
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