The main sanctuary of Kasuga Taisha has been protected for centuries by a ritual called shikinen zotai — the complete rebuilding of its shrine buildings once every twenty years. Counting from the Nara period, this cycle has now reached its sixtieth round, an unbroken practice spanning more than twelve hundred years.

The cypress bark that covers the roofs, and the vermilion-lacquered pillars, fade and wear a little more with each passing twenty years. Rather than waiting for the buildings to fall into disrepair, they are rebuilt while their beauty can still be preserved. And within this cycle, it is said, lies another meaning as well.

A young craftsman who has only just begun learning the trade experiences his first rebuilding. Twenty years later, when the cycle comes around again, he stands as a seasoned master, passing his skill on to a new generation of apprentices. The feel of the fingertips, the intention behind each choice — things no blueprint alone can capture — have been handed down this way, from person to person, without interruption.