Izumo Oyashiro / Izumo Taisha was added to Your Favorites!
Daisen-Oki NP, Shimane
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A circa-970 schoolbook ranked “Un-ta” (understood as Izumo Taisha) ahead of Tōdaiji’s Great Buddha Hall. In 2000, archaeologists unearthed a 1248-era pillar here made from 3 bundled cedar trunks.
In the old lunar 10th month, local belief says kami from across Japan gather here to discuss human connections. They are welcomed at Inasa Beach, about 1 km west, then lodged in the paired East and West Jūkusha.
An old Izumo account describes red beans simmered with plenty of broth and a little mochi, offered to the gods during their gathering season as “jinzai mochi.” Local tradition traces the name zenzai to that word.
The main sanctuary faces south, but Ōkuninushi’s sacred seat inside faces west. So the usual front approach sees him from the side; the west side of the building lines up with his gaze.
The famous shimenawa hangs at Kaguraden, not the main sanctuary: it is about 13 m long and weighs 5.2 tonnes. Weavers in Iinan make it by hand, continuing a local craft linked to the shrine since the 1950s.
At Izumo Taisha, the customary prayer includes 4 claps. On the annual May 14 grand festival, priests clap 8 times: the shrine explains that 8 has long symbolized infinity, expressing limitless praise.
Izumo’s shimenawa follows a different left-right direction from the usual shrine convention. The shrine traces this to its older custom of ranking the deity’s left side higher than the right.
Until 1871, the shrine was called Kizuki Taisha. Its familiar name, Izumo Taisha, is officially read Izumo Ōyashiro—a pronunciation many visitors don’t expect.
The Kojiki tells how Ōkuninushi helped an injured hare on his way to Inaba. Stone rabbits scattered around the shrine grounds recall that story, including figures near the main sanctuary and in the gardens.
Kaguraden began as the chief priest family’s great hall, called Fūchōkan. Its 270-tatami-mat hall and stained-glass gable are unusual details in a shrine building.
