Sacred Logs Carried to Famous Ise Jingu Shrine; Ritual is Part of Regular Renewal of Shrine Facilities

Yomiuri Shimbun

12-06-2025

The Yomiuri Shimbun
A sacred log for the Geku sanctuary of Ise Jingu shrine is pulled down the street in Ise, Mie Prefecture, on Tuesday.
ISE, Mie – As part of a once-every-20-years Shinto tradition, sacred logs were ceremonially carried to the Ise Jingu shrine complex in Ise, Mie Prefecture, on Monday and Tuesday.
The procession with the logs was part of long-term preparations for Shikinen Sengu, a tradition in which the main shrines, relevant facilities and holy treasures of Ise Jingu are renewed every 20 years. It will next take place in 2033.
On Monday, three holy logs for the Naiku inner sanctuary were brought in by river. On Tuesday, another three logs for the Geku outer sanctuary were loaded on a wooden cart and pulled by about 400 local residents and others down the street in Ise along a roughly 2-kilometer route. Throughout the procession, people called out, 'Enya, enya!'
On arrival at the Geku shrine, the logs were hauled into the shrine's sacred precinct by shrine employees and local residents before being welcomed by Chief Priest Asataka Kuni. After a holy ritual, the logs were safely placed in the Gojoden house on the Geku grounds.
A series of rituals and events related to the logs — which had started with their ceremonial cutting in Agematsu, Nagano Prefecture, on June 3 — thus came to an end.