I first learned about the Ise Shrine as an architecture student at Arizona State University. It made a huge impression on me at the time. The Ise Shrine is a Shinto religious complex located in the city of Ise, Japan. Every 20 years, they rebuild the shrine on an adjacent site replicating the original structures down to the most minute details. So the buildings are always new, but the ancient design is preserved.
The craftsmen who rebuild the shrine learn their skills from their elders, and pass those same skills on to the next generation. They even tend the cypress trees used for timber from seedlings to maturity. This historic connection between the people who maintain the site and the sacred site itself is remarkable and quite beautiful.
The next rebuild of the shrine is coming up in 2013.
Learn more at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ise_Grand_Shrine
