Gekū

　It is customary when visiting Ise to begin at Gekū before proceeding to Naikū; however, Gekū is rarely visited by organised tour groups.

　The deity enshrined here, Toyouke-no-Ōkami, is the god or goddess of food and grain; it is said that the character ‘uke’ (受) signifies food.

　The approach path is paved with small pebbles for purification, creating a solemn atmosphere.

　The Shikinen-senkū is held once every 20 years. It is a ceremony in which the shrine buildings are rebuilt and the deity is transferred to a new main hall. The 63rd Shikinen-senkū is scheduled for autumn 2033, but the ‘Kawa-hiki’—a procession in which timber such as hinoki cypress, to be used for the Shikinen-senkū, is loaded onto wooden sledges and pulled through the Isuzu River—will take place at the end of this month.