in full Grand Shrine of Ise Japanese Ise-daijingū
Foremost Shintō shrine in Japan, at Ise, in southern Honshu.
The Inner Shrine (traditionally founded 4 BC) is dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu . The Outer Shrine (5th century), 4 mi (6 km) away, is dedicated to Toyuke Ōkami, god of food, clothing, and housing. At both shrines the main building is a thatched hut built in the ancient Japanese style of unpainted Japanese cypress ( hinoki ). A distinctive feature of Shintō architecture is the chigi , a scissor-shaped finial at the front and rear of the roof. Since the 7th century the buildings have been reconstructed every 20 or 21 years.