Princess Aiko visited the Yamada woodworking workshop at Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture on Aug. 1 [1] to inspect timber processing for shrine reconstruction.
The visit highlights the imperial family's involvement in preserving the traditional craftsmanship required for the Shikinen Sengu, a ritual reconstruction of the shrine's buildings that occurs every 20 years [3].
Princess Aiko arrived at the facility near Kintetsu Ujiyamada Station around 3:30 p.m. [2]. During her visit, she observed the intricate process of preparing wood for the upcoming reconstruction cycle. The princess expressed interest in how these specialized skills are passed down through generations of artisans.
"Will this be handed over to the next person?" the princess said [1].
Her visit focused on the practical realities of wood processing and the sustainability of the labor involved. She noted the scale of the effort required to maintain the shrine's architectural integrity over decades.
"It is steady and enormous work," she said [3].
According to the Imperial Household Agency, the visit is an important part of the preparations for the next Shikinen Sengu, which is scheduled for 2033 [4]. The agency said the visit was a critical inspection of the technical inheritance necessary for the project [4].
The princess remained in the area for a two-day trip, staying overnight from Aug. 1 to Aug. 2 [4]. While some reports indicated a visit to the Toba Aquarium, other official records list the inspection of the woodworking shop, and the Oki-biki timber-pulling event as the primary activities [1, 4].
Detailed logs show the princess used a combination of Shinkansen and Kintetsu railway services to reach Ise City [1].
“"Will this be handed over to the next person?"”
The visit underscores the intersection of imperial duty and cultural preservation. By focusing on the 'inheritance' of techniques, Princess Aiko is drawing attention to the precarious nature of traditional Japanese carpentry, where specialized knowledge must be manually transferred to a new generation to ensure the 2033 reconstruction can proceed according to ancient specifications.
