Аннотация:T . n HE TEMPLES of the Olympian gods lie in ruins, the shattered testimony of a glory now extinct and a faith now cold. But at Ise, the majestic forests shelter a cluster of unadorned wooden buildings which have been rebuilt every twenty years since the end of the seventh century of our era. These small thatched buildings are outward proof of a tradition long reverenced and still flourishing. Just as the surrounding trees constantly put forth new green, so these sacred buildings are built anew in regular rhythm to symbolize the eternal regeneration of the spirit and the continuity ofthe nation's life. Here the worshiper may commune with the primeval ancestral spirit of the Yamato people, feel himself in harmony with his ancient heritage, and reverence the grandeur of the unspoilt natural setting. Here is no tomb housing the dead, but a vital force, a focal point of a nation devoted to perpetuating its valued traditions.
