Of the
countless Shinto shrines that dot the landscape of Japan, none is more
prestigious than the Grand Shrine of Ise. This lofty position reflects
Ise's close connection with the Japanese imperial family, whose ancestor
the sun goddess Amaterasu is worshiped as one of the two major deities
of the shrine. In its grand scale and elaborate ritual, Ise Shrine provides
us with an excellent case study in the way in which primitive Japanese
beliefs about man, nature, and the gods were given durable institutional
shape.