Ise Grand Shrine and Meotoiwa (Wedded Rocks)

Hoshidekan Ryokan

Bridge at Ise Inner Shrine

Ise Inner Shrine

Meotoiwa

17-18 March 20

We decided to take a last weekend trip before our move, and chose the Ise Peninsula, the site of Japan's noblest shrine, Jingu, the spiritual home of Japanese people.  The ancient shrine is comprised of two sites, and outer shrine, Geku, devoted to Omikami, deity of the protection of food, and the inner shrine, Naiku, devoted to Amarterasu (the supreme ancestral deity of the Japanese Imperial Family).  Amarterasu was thought to be enshrined in this location in the forest about 2000 years ago.  Amarterasu is the symbol of the sun and the deity that nurtures peace and harmony.  We found the shrines to be beautifully austere, nestled among ancient Cypress trees (Cryptomeria).  The architecture is more representative of the ancient Japanese style.  Gold leaf is only apparent on roof supports, and there is little decoration.  Shrine are rebuilt every 20 years in accordance with Shinto beliefs.  After visiting the shrines we returned to the old ryokan where we were staying, a wonderful old rambling building with a lovely interior garden with a water koto.  After dinner we were treated to listening to some OLD records of Josephine Baker, Louis Armstrong etc which the inn keeper played on an ancient wind up record player!  Great!

Next day we took the bus to Futamiura, famous for the Meotoiwa (wedded rocks) and the Futami Okitama Shrine ("Frog shrine"), devoted to the sanctity of marriage.  The rocks are part of the shrine, and are dedicated to Izanagi and Izanami (the marriage of the creator gods).  They have been tied with a rice straw rope (Shimenawa) for thousands of years and the rope is changes about 3 times a year by the monks and visitors.  You can guess which rock is the man and which the woman.  The Japanese word for frog is kaeru, which is the same as the verb for to return or come back...There were dozens of frog statues of every description and size.  We ate some exquisite grilled-in-the-shell oysters from Ise, certainly the best we have ever tasted - plump and tender, just barely boiled in their own juice) before getting on the bus again.

We took a walk in the Kawasaki, the old section of Ise by the river, poked into some little shops, and headed for the train home.

Love to all