This
clear connection with the imperial family takes us back to the many mysteries
surrounding the early history of Ise Shrine, in particular the date of
its founding. The oldest records, based largely on myth and assembled at
the convenience of the imperial clan, give a founding date of the first
century BC, but today even the most conservative scholar would correct
this to the fourth century AD or later. The real problem is, why should
the shrine of the imperial ancestor be located at Ise, in ancient times
some two to three days journey from the Yamato home of the court. Legend
has it that the location was determined on the basis of an apparition from
the sun goddess herself to an imperial princess, simply because Ise is
a "secluded and pleasant land." But behind this miraculous account lie
two other considerations: first, the direction of Ise due east from Yamato,
toward the rising sun, and second the existence of a strong local clan
in the Ise region with whom the imperial family sought a military alliance.