Today, I write to you earlier than usual, while most of you should be asleep by now. I apologise, once more, for yesterday small post.
So, lets resume our schedule.
Monday the 10th, we had a very special ceremony at 9:00 a.m in the Geku (Outter Shrine).
Reconstructed worship building.
If you remember it, the Geku is one of the 2 most important Shrines in the Ise-Jingû. Believers will enter the gate (Torii), walk the sando (path to the main building) and reach the worship building, which stands in front of the Honden (restricted building where the kami is enshrined).
In the picture above, you can see the entrance to the worship building area, where photos are not aloud once on the inside. Beyond that pictures Torii, you can see a small building, which is as far as anyone can go, to pray. On the left and right sides of that same building, there's a fence where you can see the big courtyard and a big Torii that stands beyond it. On the far side of that courtyard (lets call it area A), you can see a bigger wooden fence, with a closed gold-decorated door, in the middle, that leads to the area where the Honden lies hidden (lets called area B). Obviously, that area is also restricted to high Shinto priests and the Imperial Family. Or isn't it?
Actually, the area B is very restricted, but it's possible to go into the area A. I do not know what you have to do to go in there, but apparently only organized groups are aloud inside. Everyone has to be wearing very formal clothes, especially man which are not aloud inside if they are not wearing a tie.
We went inside, to stand before the Kami.
We left our things at the entrance and we followed a Shinto priest into the big courtyard (area A). In it, there were only 2 enormous trees, one Torii, a little building and a wide area of emptiness. While standing in the middle, we remained in rows of 6 people (2 rows total) and we followed the usual prayer gestures required in a Shinto shrine. Everything lasted almost 3 minutes.
For me, it was a very very special experience, indeed. I don't remember if it was windy, I don't remember if I could hear the other people talking far behind me. Honestly, I can only remember the emptiness of a very strange area, that didn't actually feel empty at all. Whatever was in there I do not know, but once you stand still, you can only look forward and see the closed gold-decorated door, expecting it to open anytime. However, the Kami doesn't have a physical form....it doens't need a door anyway.
After we leave the area A, we were escorted through another path around the Honden wooden fence. After a 2 minute walk, we reached what used to be the old Honden.
Old worship building.
That old sacred building was the former ''worship building + Honden''. 5 months ago, it was as sacred as the new one that we just visited (which is an exact replica of the this Old one). Since the old building does not hold the Kami anymore, we were allowed in the area A and B of the Old shrine. It was not has amazing as the first one, because something felt ''missing''. Nonetheless, it was an opportunity to look close into what the Honden really looks like. The new shrine, where we prayed, will serve the Kami for the next 20 years, while the old one will be demolished in the next months. You are only allowed to see the Old shrine in a 3 month window, which is an enourmes previlige. Pictures were also not permited.
This was the most special event in the entire week, and maybe in the entire month aswell. A very unique feeling, no doubt.
Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did. It was truly different.
Diogo here, thank you for reading and stay tuned for more!
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