Disclaimer: Again, no foxes here. This is the logical follow-up to my previous post about the Ise Jingu Geku. Although they are roughly 4km apart as the gods fly, they are together considered the most important shrine of Shinto worship.
Japanese Name: 伊勢神宮内宮
Romanized Reading: Ise Jingu Naiku
English Translation: Ise Shrine Inner Shrine
Size: Complex
Deity: Amaterasu
First Visit: 14-Sep-2023
Location: Ise
Address: 1 Ujitachicho, Ise, Mie 516-0023, Japan
Coordinates: 34.457,136.724
The Inner Shrine is located at the outermost fringes of the city, where civilization meets nature. Beyond here, it's all forested mountains with barely any civilization in between. It occupies roughly 60 acres of land on the flank of a mountain the name of which I was unable to find out. The deity enshrined here is none other than Amaterasu, goddess of the sun, highest of the four great heavenly deities, and by extension the highest deity in Shinto faith. To enter the shrine, you first have to cross the sacred Isuzugawa (五十鈴川 "Fifty Small Bells River") by means of a bridge with characteristic flood debris breakers in front of it.
After that, there's a long and wide gravel path leading through a well-maintained park until you finally reach the Ichi-no-Torii (一の鳥居 "First Torii").
After that, there's the Mitarashiba (御手洗場 "Honorable Hand Washing Place"), where you're supposed to wash your hands in the crystal-clear waters of the sacred river. There's even tiny fish swimming in these waters.
After that, the gravel roads lead into the sacred forest...
...where several small shrines can be found, such as Takimatsuri-no-Kami (瀧祭神 "Cascade Festival God") or Kazahinomi-no-Miya (風日祈宮 "Wind Day Prayer Shrine").
At the center stands the Kaguraden (神楽殿 "Divine Music Mansion"), where the sacred Kagura dances are performed. Rioght next to it is a store where you can buy sacred talismans, and also cool yourself down in a haze of cooling mist. Very welcome on a hot day like today.
The main shrine - which is known as Koutai Jingu (皇大神宮 "Imperial Great God Hall") - once again prohibits photography, so here's an image from the outside.
The woods also contain one particularly impressive tree...
...along with the Mi-Ike (御池 "Sacred Lake"), which is home to a few dozen more or less colorful koi.
Also, several more side shrines.
And finally, here's a map of this whole complex. This one is a lot more stylized than the one of the Geku.
