This paper aimed to ascertain patterns of medieval and early modern descriptions about form of the shrine of Ise, through investigation of Japanese literatures between 1180s and 1860s. As a result, the descriptions point out simplicity of the shrine were found in some literatures this paper referred to. It seems that they were based on Confucian words of a Chinese classic. And, in the literatures, there were a few descriptions praise the shrine, too. Therefore, it is obvious that there had been the views which is similar to modernist's views of the shrine of Ise before the modem period.
