For a Millennium This Shrine Has Been Torn Down And Rebuilt Every 20 Years

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Every 20 years the 2000 year old Ise Jingu grand shrine in Mie Prefecture, Japan, is torn down and rebuilt anew. The ritual is called Sengu, and the present buildings (originals in their sixty-first iteration) date from 2013. Repeated rebuilding preserves the original architect’s design against the otherwise eroding effects of time and renders the shrine eternal. It also ensures that the craft and technique of construction if passed on from generation to generation.

More:  Smithsonian
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