Tsukiyomi-no-Miya, Betsugū shrine of the Naikū in Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Tsukiyomi-no-miya is a compound of four betsu-gū shrines in Ise, Mie Prefecture, arranged side by side and facing south. Each shrine is built in the Shinmei-zukuri style, with unpainted timber posts, a raised floor of pale gravel, and a gabled roof of pale wood with forked finials (chigi) and six even-numbered billets (katsuogi) along the ridge. A low fence of vertical wooden slats encloses the inner chamber, and a wooden sign bearing the characters 月讀宮 hangs from a post.
The shrine appears in the 804 Daijingu Gishiki-cho as 'Tsukiyomi-no-miya, one enclosure, four sanctuaries'. In 867 the names Izanagi-no-miya and Izanami-no-miya were granted. Since 1873 the four sanctuaries have stood in separate fenced enclosures. The 62nd rebuilding moved the main sanctuary on 6 October 2014, and timbers from the old Tsukiyomi Aramitama-no-miya were given to Yagumo Shrine in Ashikaga, Tochigi, after its hall burned in 2012.
Tsukiyomi-no-mikoto is male, the brother of Amaterasu, and the shrine is popularly called "Tsukiyomi-san". The four sanctuaries stand in a row from east to west as Tsukiyomi Aramitama no Miya, Tsukiyomi no Miya, Isanagi no Miya and Isanami no Miya, but worshippers visit them in the order Tsukiyomi, Aramitama, Isanagi, Isanami. A framed wooden sign reading 月讀宮 hangs from the pavilion post.
Visiting is best done on foot, as the shrine is located in a quieter part of the larger shrine complex. Dress respectfully and be aware that some areas may be restricted to tourists.
The four shrine buildings stand in a row from east to west as Tsukiyomi Aramitama no Miya, Tsukiyomi no Miya, Izanagi no Miya and Izanami no Miya, but worshippers are meant to visit them in the order Tsukiyomi, Tsukiyomi Aramitama, Izanagi, Izanami. Tsukiyomi no Miya's hall is slightly larger than the other three, and its torii is larger too. Its old hall site lies to the north and south rather than beside it, unlike the other shrines.
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