#geku

[bonguri]

20260303 Ise Grand Shrine 7 by Bong Grit Via Flickr: 別宮もお参り。こちらは風宮。 Photo taken at Toyouke Daijingu, Ise city, Mie pref.

[norisunorin]

三重県　伊勢市　伊勢神宮　外宮

Japan　Mie ise　IseGrandShrine　Geku　Shrine　IseJingu

[nakiko]

しめ縄、設置完了！ 伊勢では一年中飾ります🎍 もうすぐ大晦日！ 外宮さんに会える日が待ち遠しいです😌 #今年は笑門にした #伊勢の風習 #もうすぐ外宮さんに会える😌❤️ #待ち遠しい #しめ縄は28日までに #神棚欲しい #伊勢神宮#お正月準備 #外宮#内宮#美容師#しめ縄 #伊勢#伊勢ライフ #長野県#三重#神社#japan#mie#ise#geku (Ise, Mie)

[maiandsaki]

おはよう☀ 今日も楽しく頑張ろう！ Repost from @isejingu.official @TopRankRepost #TopRankRepost #伊勢神宮 #神宮 #心のふるさと # #外宮 #豊受大神宮 #正宮 #黄昏 #神宮125社 #ISEJINGU #JINGU #SOUL_of_JAPAN #Shinto #Geku #Toyouke_daijingu #Twilight (伊勢神宮 外宮 / Geku)

[brooklynmuseum]

📍 Ise, Japan:

Ise and its surrounding regions are home to many of the most important temples and shrines in Shintoism, a Japanese ethnic religion whose earliest recorded practices date back to the eighth century. Ise Jingū, or Ise Grand Shrine, is particularly important in Shintoism and is a shrine complex centered around two main shrines called Naikū (inner shrine) and Gekū (outer shrine). Naikū is dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu and is believed to be her dwelling place. Gekū is dedicated to Toyouke Ōmikami, the god of agriculture. Since its founding in the 4th century, Ise Jingū has been directly connected with the Japanese royal family as their lineage is believed to be descended from Amaterasu herself, and because the shrine is purportedly home to Yata no kagami, the sacred mirror that forms part of the Japanese imperial regalia. Consequently, the chief priest or priestess of Ise Jingū must always be from the imperial household.

Because of this royal connection, Ise and its nearby sites have featured prominently in Japanese literary masterpieces such as The Tale of Genji and The Tales of Ise, which revolve strongly around court life. The Brooklyn Museum’s 17th century hanging scroll, which depicts a scene from The Tale of Genji, as well as its tsuba (sword guard), which shows two characters from The Tales of Ise, attest to the importance of royal pilgrimages to Ise in Japanese culture.  

Royal pilgrimages from the capital also often involved hiking kumanokodo, a network of pilgrimage trails that we also hiked, which lead to three key Shinto shrines collectively known as Kumano sanzan: Hongu taisha, Nachi taisha, and Hatayama taisha.

On our last few days, we trekked to the Shinto shrine Meotoiwa, also known as the “married couple rocks” because of the shimenawa (sacred rope in Shintoism) that links a larger rock to a smaller one and signifies the eternal bond between a husband and wife. And finally, we ended our trip full of Shinto sites with a visit to the Buddhist temple Tsumekirifudōson, where the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, Kūkai, purportedly carved an image of the wrathful god, Fudō Myōō using his fingernails.

Having satisfied our spiritual curiosities in Kyoto and Ise, we headed back to Tokyo for more secular aims, just in time for the beginning of cherry blossom season!

Posted by Amanda Imai

[xenodorian]

Geku flying at night, ready to lob some energy blasts.

(Background and energy blasts are not my own)

[bonguri]

20260303 Ise Grand Shrine 3 by Bong Grit Via Flickr: 雨天だったので、葉っぱが輝いていました。 Photo taken at Toyouke Daijingu, Ise city, Mie pref.

[bonguri]

20260303 Ise Grand Shrine 2 by Bong Grit Via Flickr: 外宮の手水舎。ひしゃくは毎年更新されるのかな？ Photo taken at Toyouke Daijingu, Ise city, Mie pref.