And
it just so happens that an entire school of philosophy was developed by
the priests of the Outer Shrine interpreting Ise in yin-yang terms.
This 18th century map shows the symbolism: the Inner Shrine,
since it represents the sun, shown here in red, is yang, and hence
the Outer Shrine becomes yin, shown in white and associated with
the moon. While many learned volumes were devoted to developing this idea,
they were never able to overcome the glaring contradiction of the reversal
of the sexes, since in yin-yang theory the sun must be male. What
we seem to have here is a much later attempt by the authorities of the
Outer Shrine, resentful of being number two, to establish a position of
absolute equality with the Inner Shrine.