Remains of the Lumber Pond for Ise Grand Shrine

Location: 1 Nakajima, Ise City

This pond, commonly known as Shimokawa, is where lumber for Geku (the Outer Shrine) was stored. It was located up river from the lumber yard in Ominato in Ise City. Lumber that was felled in Kiso arrived in Ominato after coming down the Kiso River and crossing Ise Bay. There, it was sorted into lumber for Naiku (the Inner Shrine) and lumber for Geku (the Outer Shrine). From there, the lumber for Geku was transported upstream the Miya River to the lumber pond here. Although it was filled in when a flood-plain (Miyagawa Tsutsumi Park) was built around 1975, lumber is still hauled up from this area, and after being used a number of times in the Donden custom at Dondenba in Nakajima, the lumber is hauled by hoeisha (wheeled cart) to the lumber pond at Geku.