The Ise Shrine (Jingū), in Mie Prefecture, Japan, is a complex of Shinto shrines and buildings that are rebuilt every 20 years. The last construction in 2013 is the 62nd iteration. With a few interruptions for wars the rebuilding has been carried on for over 1300+ years. There have been a few changes over the centuries but overall the building follows a strict design that is mostly in the minds and hands of master carpenters. This knowledge is passed on as 3 or 4 generations work together. We are now halfway through the cycle to 2033.

The Princeton School of Architecture together with the Global Japan Lab is hosting a symposium at Princeton 13 and 14 September on the topic of circularity and the Ise Shrines from both a materials and construction perspective and the broader questions of the cultural and social role of the shrines in Japanese history. The symposium will include informal lectures on Friday afternoon and a series of four roundtables on Saturday morning and early afternoon.

Registration required.

Symposium schedule:

Friday 13 September 1:00pm to 5:00pm, Architecture Building N-107 – Talks and Discussion

12.00 – 1.00pm
Welcome – Jim Raymo
Introduction - Ise Jingū: Complex, Adaptive, Cyclical ?  Guy Nordenson (Princeton)

1.20 -2.40pm
Cypress Bark Roofing (hiwadabuki): Japan’s Infinitely Reusable Resource.  Thomas D Conlan (Princeton)
The Circulation of Material at Ise Considered Historically.  Jordan Sand (Georgetown - virtual)
The Ise Shrines: Reconsidering their Origins and Architectural Qualities.  Yukio Lippit (Harvard)

Discussion.  Yukio Lippit moderating

2.40-3.00pm Coffee Break

3.00-4.40pm
Historicity and Monumentality of Shrine Architecture in 20^th Century Japan.  Seng Kuan (University of Tokyo)
Global Lessons in Circular Construction from Switzerland to Japan.  Catherine De Wolf (ETH Zurich - virtual)
Thatch: Ise and Contemporary Practices. Paul Lewis (Princeton)

Discussion.  Guy Nordenson moderating

Saturday 14 September 9:30am to 3:00pm Architecture Building N-107 – Round-tables

9.30am
Introduction to Round-tables.  Guy Nordenson (Princeton)

9.45-10.30am
Ise and its Changing Social Meaning over Time. 
David Romney (Washington University) with Thomas Conlan, Yukio Lippit and Jordan Sand (virtual)

10.30-10.45am Coffee Break

10.45-11.30am
Craft, Tools, and Transmission.
Demi Fang (Northeastern University) with Sigrid Adriaenssens (Princeton), Martin Puryear (sculptor) 
and Adam Zgola (Carpenter – virtual)

11.45am-12.45pm Lunch

12.45-1.30pm
Materials, Materiality and Representation of Ise.
Ziyan Zhang (ETH Zurich) with Seng Kuan and Yukkio Lippit

1.30-1.45pm Coffee Break

1.45-2.30pm
Is Ise Cyclical?
Vanessa Schwarzkopf (ETH Zurich) with John Ochsendorf (MIT) and Jürgen Hackl (Princeton)

Discussion.  
3.00pm end