Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Naiku or Inner Shrine is with Geku the most important of the Isejinku shrine complex. Naiku is dedicated to Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess and supreme deity.
Naiku as Geku is surrounded by 90 hectares of cypress forest, part of the sacred forest of Jingu.
To main access to Naiku is via the Uji bridge, a wooden bridge that just has been rebuilt last year. The main shrine building, as well as the bridge, is destroyed and rebuilt every 20 years, in a tradition dating back to the 7th century; the next scheduled rebuilding of the Isejingu shrine is 2013.
Visitors can pause before visiting the Inner shrine at Kaguraden, feed the sacred koi, or contemplate the strutting roosters strutting wandering around which are associated with Amaterasu because it crows before dawn.
The final approach to Kotaijingu or main sanctuary is via stone steps where worshipers can get as close as the first gate, as in Gaku, photos are not allowed in this area.