Izumo – shrine, mythology and Japanese history

Izumo is a city along the rural coast of Sanin on the Sea of Japan. The region owes its reputation to the Izumo Taisha shrine, one of the oldest and most sacred Shinto shrines in Japan. The millennial legends surrounding its sanctuary and the proximity to Matsue, rich in history, make Izumo a fantastic place to explore part of Japan’s ancient history and mythology.

Izumo taisha

It is one of the most important shrines in Japan. There is no trace of the exact date of construction of Izumo Taisha, but it is often considered the oldest sanctuary in Japan, already existing in the early 700s, as the country’s oldest chronicles reveal.

The main deity ( kami ) is Okuninushi no Okami. According to the myths of creation, Okuninushi was the creator of the land of Japan and the leader of Izumo. He also became known as the divinity of good relations and marriage. Visitors therefore type hands four times instead of the usual two times during their prayers: twice for themselves and twice for their real or desired partners.

Every year, from the tenth to the seventeenth day of the tenth lunar month (usually in November), the eight million Shinto deities from all over the country meet in Izumo Taisha for a meeting. It is for this reason that this lunar month is known as Kamiarizuki (“months with deities”) in Izumo, and Kannazuki (“months without deities”) everywhere else in Japan. In accordance with tradition, the Kamiari festival takes place at the shrine during this period.

Izumo Taisha was periodically rebuilt like the shrines of Ise. Since then, tradition has only been partially maintained with major renovations instead of complete reconstructions carried out once every about 60 years.

Izumo Taisha is located several kilometers north of the railway station of Izumoshi. The buildings are connected by direct buses and the Ichibata railway

Bentenjima

Along the ocean you can see a sanctuary perched on a colossal rock on the beach of Inasanohama. It is believed that this tiny and mysterious sanctuary is home to a female deity of the sea, watching the sailors and protecting them from the waves of the Japanese Sea.

Museum of the ancient Izumo

A museum dedicated to the history and archaeology of Izumo Taisha and the Izumo region which played an important role in the history of Japan’s early days. Located right next to the grounds of the great sanctuary, the museum presents the history of the region since prehistoric times through the construction and evolution of the sanctuary, with a particular emphasis on its construction, mythology and the people it served.

One of the most remarkable objects is the rest of a massive pillar, more than a metre in diameter, which fueled speculation about how the sanctuary was built more than 1000 years ago. Some documents claim that the main buildings of the sanctuary were once built at the top of hundreds of huge wooden pillars and reached heights of about 48 metres, and the museum presents large complex conceptual models of these old massive structures.

The permanent exhibition of the museum also presents hundreds of archaeological artifacts extracted from the region, including bronze swords and bells, as well as the only complete version of Japan of Izumo no Kuni Fudoki, ancient historical and mythological records of the province of Izumo. In addition, temporary exhibitions are held periodically at the museum.

Cape Hinomisaki

Hinomisaki is a course facing the Sea of Japan. It is located about 8 km northwest of the Shrine of Izumo-Taisha and is located almost at the western end of the Shimane Peninsula.

The coast around Cape Town has many cliffs, caves, small rocky islands and a lighthouse built in 1903. With its 43.65 meters it is the highest stone lighthouse in Japan. Visitors can climb into the observatory room at the top.

Yayoi no mori Museum

The Izumo Yayoi-no-Mori Museum is adjacent to the Nishidani Funbo-gun (tumulus funerary), an immense sovereign funeral complex that is a national historic site. The museum exhibits include jewellery, funerary objects, a model of the sovereign of Izumo, and a gigantic diorama that reconstructs a funeral service. This museum also serves as an orientation centre to present the various remains of the city of Izumo.

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