Yamatohime-no-miya

Yamatohime-no-miya is a peaceful auxiliary shrine, or betsugu, of the Naiku, set on a wooded rise between the Outer and Inner Shrines of Ise. Though one of the more recently established sanctuaries within Ise Jingu, it honours a figure of the deepest importance to the shrine's own origin story: Princess Yamatohime no Mikoto, the imperial princess credited in legend with founding Ise Jingu itself.

According to the ancient chronicles, Yamatohime was the daughter of Emperor Suinin and was entrusted with the sacred mirror of the sun goddess Amaterasu, one of the three Imperial Regalia. Charged with finding a permanent home for the goddess's spirit, she wandered the land for years, moving the sacred object from place to place, until she reached the banks of the pure Isuzu River at Ise. There, it is said, Amaterasu revealed her wish to remain, and Yamatohime established the Inner Shrine on that spot. She is thus revered as the first high priestess of Ise and the origin of the saio tradition, whereby unmarried imperial princesses served the shrine for centuries thereafter.

Despite the antiquity of the legend, the shrine dedicated to Yamatohime herself is comparatively modern, having been formally established in 1923 to honour her foundational role. It is built, like the other sanctuaries of Ise, in the austere and beautiful unpainted cypress style, standing within a calm, tree-shaded compound reached by a gentle flight of steps. As a betsugu it too is renewed in the twenty-year Shikinen Sengu rebuilding cycle.

The shrine is especially popular with women, who come to pray to the princess for matters of the heart, family harmony and life's transitions, drawn by her example of devotion and perseverance. The setting is quiet and contemplative, with few crowds, seasonal blossom in spring and maples in autumn, making it a restful stop away from the busier main shrines.

A further attraction of the area is its cluster of cultural institutions. Close by stand the Jingu Chokokan, a museum of Ise Jingu's history and treasures, the agricultural museum Jingu Nogyokan, and the Jingu Bunko library, so a visit to Yamatohime-no-miya can easily be combined with a deeper exploration of the shrine complex's heritage.

Situated conveniently on the route between the Geku and Naiku, near the Kogakkan University area, Yamatohime-no-miya is simple to reach by bus or on foot and costs nothing to enter. For travellers who wish to understand not just what Ise Jingu is but how it came to be, paying respects at the shrine of the princess who, in legend, brought the sun goddess to Ise adds a resonant human chapter to the story of Japan's holiest sanctuary.