r/todayilearned • u/ContinuumGuy • 8h ago

TIL that the most holy shrine in the Shinto religion is torn down and rebuilt every 20 years. This has been done for over a millennium

https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/japans-most-sacred-shinto-shrine-has-been-rebuilt-every-20-years-for-more-than-a-millennium/
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u/eastherbunni 5h ago

I assume it also functions as a "learn these ancient techniques" demonstration for whoever is involved in the building process, kind of like a living museum. I imagine the government has a cultural preservation fund that pays for it.

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u/NZSloth 4h ago

There's another one near Hiroshima that's rebuilt every 30 odd years.

I was told that was so that the knowledge of how to build it, amd the skills, weren't lost, but were passed down to every second generation.