You
have probably also wondered about the strange logs which rest on top of
the ridgepole of the buildings at Ise, varying in number but always an
even number at the Inner Shrine and odd at the Outer. This feature was
an integral structural feature of certain types of primitive Japanese houses,
as seen on this clay haniwa dwelling, and served quite simply to hold down
the roof in the face of rain and wind. At Ise, again, the original function
has been transformed into an elegant symbol.