In the West, art is usually considered a product. Rembrandt would paint a portrait for a patron; it would be a masterpiece, and that would be the end of it. Bernini would sculpt Apollo and Daphne, and now it sits in the Galleria Borghese. Even the most monumental pieces the Chartres Cathedrals or Sistine Chapel ceilings of the world had an end date when their initial creation was deemed complete. After that point, few save art historians care to watch the work evolve with the centuries.

Much of this attitude stems from the Western fascination with permanence. We strive to build a lasting legacy; the longer it stands, the more impressive it becomes. Time is the threshing floor for tradition; only the wheat, we assume, can survive the harsh winds. Has Homers Iliad stood the test of time because it is a great work, or is it considered great because it has lasted so long? The answer lies somewhere in between, but there is something curious: long after its creator has died, the Iliad has been passed down, maintained, and translated by a diversity of people and cultures, such that its original significance has grown more and more opaque. It is this process that makes the Western tradition so beautiful, adaptable, and enriching. But longevity is brittle, and it also makes it fragile.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Depiction of the Relocation of the Grand Shrine of Ise, c. 1847-1852

Eastern cultures maintain a different way of relating to time that, while on the surface seems more fatalistic, offers a suppleness that has allowed some elements of Asian life to stand essentially unchanged for hundreds if not thousands of years. By relinquishing the desire for unchanging permanence, the entire structure can withstand the winds of change.

Shinto is one of the more striking examples of this unique form of strength. Most of the world has long since abandoned the shamanistic religions that predated current world religions and even paganism; Shinto has not only lasted in Japan but maintained a firm grip over its thought and culture. Some of this comes from its practitioners willingness to collaborate with other major religions, like Buddhism. Its beliefs complement Buddhisms emphasis on meditation and silence, in which the natural world is often used as an object of contemplation to move toward the spiritual life beyond. Shinto proposes that the world is full of kami, deities that inhabit natural things. There is a strong emphasis on ritual purification and cleanliness to show reverence for the natural world. A clean, well-kept shrine is the best way to show reverence for its kami.

Shinto has also been used to legitimize the authority of the Japanese Imperial family, who claim to be direct descendants of the primary deity, Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. By this connection, it entangles itself in the Confucian practices and beliefs that dominate Japanese political life.

Kagura-den of the Ise Shrine

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Sacred Art: Transience and Continuity at the Grand Shrine of Ise - MutualArt.com