The is the ruins of a detached palace located in the Obata neighborhood of the city of

Ise Ise may refer to: Places *Ise, Mie, a city in Japan **Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie *Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria *Ise, Norway, a village in Norway *Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan *River Ise, a tributary of the R ...

Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture to ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1924.

Overview

The Rikyū-in was a detached palace of

Ise Grand Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and . The Inn ...

, and was one of the residences of the ''

Saiō A , was an unmarried female member of the Imperial House of Japan, Japanese Imperial Family, sent to Ise, Mie, Ise to serve at Ise Grand Shrine from the late 7th century until the 14th century. The Saiō's residence, , was about 10 km north ...

'', an unmarried female member of the

Japanese Imperial Family The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

, sent to

to serve at

from the late 7th century until the 14th century. The ''Saiō'' presided over the most important festivals held at the shrine: the Tsukinamisai, which was held in June and December, and the Kannamesai Festival in September. As the

Saikū The , was a palace complex located in what is now the Takegawa neighborhood of the town of Meiwa, Tai District, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Forming a small village, it was established in the Nara period as the palace and public offices of the ''Saiō' ...

, or main residence of the ''Saiō'', was located some distance away from the shrines, the ''Saiō'' would stay at this palace three times each year for these ceremonies. The Rikyū-in was used as an official guest house for the imperial messengers visiting Ise Grand Shrine for various official ceremonies, and later became an official dormitory for priests associated with the shrine. The official kitchens, where food was prepared as sacred offerings to the shrine, were also located within this complex. The palace was built in 798 AD, after the previous complex located in what is now the Miyajiri neighborhood of Ise was destroyed by flooding. The ''Saiō'' was relocated to this area for 15 years from 824 to 839. During this period, the Rikyū-in also served as a major government office complex with more than 500 people, and occupied a compound that measured 900 meters east-to-west by 400 meters north-to-south. It was destroyed by fire in 839 AD, and although rebuilt a few years later, the ''Saiō'' never returned, preferring to remain at the ''

'' palace complex instead. The Rikyū-in was destroyed by arson in 1102, and was mostly in ruins by the start of the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

. Much of the site was destroyed by the construction of

Miyagawa Station is a passenger railway station in located in the city of Ise, Mie Prefecture, Japan, operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tōkai). Lines Miyagawa Station is served by the Sangū Line, and is located 11.0 rail kilometers from the termi ...

and the

Sangū Line The is a railway line run by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), connecting Taki Station ( Taki, Mie) with Toba Station (Toba, Mie) in Japan. The line connects with the Kisei Main Line at Taki Station. From Taki, the line runs parallel ...

railway, and the remainder of the site is now preserved as the "Rikyuin Park". It is located 5-minute walk from Miyagawa Station on the JR Sangū Line.

References

External links

Ise city official home page

Cultural Properties of Mie Prefecture
{in lang, ja Ise Grand Shrine Ise, Mie Ise Province Historic Sites of Japan

Overview

See also

References

External links