Sengu

Any time work is done on a shrine building, from simple roof repairs to a complete rebuilding of the shrine, or even a relocation of the shrine building, the residing deity is moved to a temporary shrine; this is referred to as a sengu. The temporary shrine building is often referred to as a kari-honden, but at Izumo Taisha it is called Okariden. Then, once all work is finished, the deity is returned to the repaired, rebuilt, or relocated shrine. This is because a shrine is considered to be a holy place, and things like people standing on a shrine roof to work or noisy construction are considered offensive to the gods. Sengu are done for physical shrine upkeep, but there is a spiritual aspect as well; by making the shrine new again, a sengu symbolizes a renewal of power and vitality for the deity of that shrine. The most well-known example of a sengu is that of the Grand Shrine of Ise in Mie Prefecture, where all the shrine buildings on the grounds are completely rebuilt every 20 years.

While most shrines only have a sengu when work is absolutely necessary, Izumo Taisha is one of the other few examples of a sengu being held on a regular schedule. Izumo Taisha’s sengu, as a general rule, is held every 60 years. At 24 meters tall, Izumo Taisha’s main hall is the tallest of its kind in Japan, and a complete reconstruction at its current size is infeasible. There are no longer any trees left in Japan of the height and width necessary to build a 24-meter high shrine building, so in order preserve the current main hall as long as possible, each time a sengu is conducted, Izumo Taisha’s main hall is reroofed, and any other necessary repairs on the building structure are performed. Sengu have been performed on the main hall three times previously, in 1809, 1881, and 1953.

Izumo Taisha’s current sengu started in 2008 and is scheduled to finish in 2013, the same year of completion as the next sengu for the Grand Shrine of Ise.