Naiku (Kotaijingu) (Enlarged photo)	Geku (Toyoukedaijingu) (Enlarged photo)

Scene of worship at New Year copyright 2001 Jingu Administration Office (c)Jingu-shicho (Enlarged photo)

Saigyo (Buddhist priest, famous waka poet 1118-90) "I don't know what resides here, but tears fall in appreciation for it." A. J. Toynbee (Famous historian of England) "In this sanctuary, I perceive the fundamental unity of all religions." Paul Greenguard (Nobel laureate in Medicine and Physiology) "Here, in Ise Jingu, I perceive a sacred and eternal spirituality." Eiji Yoshikawa (Novelist, famous writer of "Miyamoto Musashi") "Is this the home for my heart? A wandering traveler, somehow I was led to visit here, I feel I am a child again."

worshiping at Ise Jingu, by Hiroshige Ando copyright 2001 Jingu Administration Office (c)jingu-bunko (Enlarged photo)

Jingu is often introduced in the dictionary as "Ise Jingu." However, the official name is "Jingu" without "Ise." Jingu is principally composed of the Naiku where Amaterasu Omikami, the ancestral kami of the Imperial Family, is worshiped, and Geku where Toyouke Omikami, the kami of agriculture and industry, is worshiped. Naiku is the alternative name for Kotaijingu, the sanctuary that is located in the southern part of Ise city, Mie, and was founded about 2000 years ago. Geku is the alternative name for Toyoukedaijingu. This sanctuary is located in the center of Ise city, Mie, and was founded about 1500 years ago. In the area around Jingu, 125 subsidiary shinto sanctuaries are distributed. 91 of them are connected with the Naiku and 32 with the Geku. Jingu is described in the oldest Japanese books "Kojiki" and "Nihonshoki", edited about 1300 years ago. Many generations of our ancestors have worshiped at the Jingu, which exists now just as it was at its beginning.

Naiku and Geku are located about 6 km apart from one another.

Call to:

Dept. of General Affairs, Jingu Administration Office (Jingu shicho) 1 Ujitachi-cho, Ise, Mie 516-0023, Japan Tel: +81-596-24-1111