The last rebuilding, which took place in 2013, was the 62nd iteration to date.
The next rebuilding is scheduled for 2033.
The logs are prepared from Japanese cypress trees cut from a sacred forest surrounding the two shrines.
These are eventually used in construction of the new shrine.
As many as 10,000 cypress trees are cut down for the new building.
Some of these trees cut are over 200 years old.
The cost of rebuilding is also enormous.
Each rebuilding costs half a billion US dollars.
The entire rebuilding ritual spans at least eight years.
These grain houses had raised floors on wooden stilts and a thatched roof.
Photo credit:Douglas Perkins/Wikimedia
Aerial View of the Ise Layout.
The vacant enclosure seen on the right is where the old shrine stood.
Photo credit: Yoshio Watanabe
The two treasure houses in the grand shrine enclosure.
The architecture is identical.
The roof of the main shrine can be seen to the left.
The row of stylized crown beams replicate what were timber weights holding down the archaic straw roof.
Photo credit: Yoshio Watanabe
One of the major shrine buildings.
Notice the fresh appearance of the cedar timbersthe buildings had just been constructed.
Photo credit: Yoshio Watanabe
All details of this structure are symbolic, stylized, and consciously archaic.
Photo credit: Yoshio Watanabe
Sources:Japan FS/Wikipedia/Gaijinpot
