Izumo Taisha
Izumo Oyashiro, more commonly known as Izumo Taisha, is one of the most sacred places in Japan. A home of the gods since far before the earliest written documents in the 8th century, this shrine is truely like no other in Japan. Izumo Taisha is the home of Okuninushi, the god who was said to have ruled the gods of earth. The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki written in the 8th century in Yamato (modern Nara) notes that Okuninushi, pressured by the gods in heaven, relinquished his duties and gave them to Nigishi, the grandson of Amaterasu-Omikoto, and effectvely placed the royal line of Yamato in position to govern Japan with divine authority. This rather abrupt and conspicuous relinquishing of power is likely due to the fact that the Yamato court of Japan (Nara) annexed/absorbed Izumo, not only considered two different kingdoms at the time, but also two different realms of existence with Izumo being the realm of the gods, and Yamato being the realm of mortals. During the 10th lunary cycle of the year (October/November) Izumo celebrates Kamiarizuki, the month of many gods, a festival where all the gods of Japan gather at Izumo Taisha for a meeting, at the same time across the rest of Japan this same period is called Kannazuki, the month without gods. During this time, it is believed that prayers made at Izumo Taisha becomes exceptionally lucky.
For the casual: 10. For the educated: 11.
I mean where do I start with this shrine. Well for one, the Honden (Main Hall) is about 24 meters tall (79 ft.) even though it was likely much taller in ancient times. It is estimated that the Honden was smaller (in terms of square feet) in ancient times but was built atop massive cedar pillars with an extra long and shallow stairway, measuring the Honden at 96 meters (315 ft.) tall. Since then the shrine has gotten shorter but larger. But that’s not all. Izumo Taisha is also known for its shimenawa, massive ropes usually made of either rice or wheat grass and twisted together so that it’s massively thick in the middle but with fine tapered ends. This style of shimenawa is particular to the Shimane area of Japan, but the largest are at Izumo Taisha with a thickness wider than most adults.
Though the Honden and the other smaller shrines of the inner sanctum are off limits to visitors, guests do have access so several smaller shrines and halls in the complex. I do wish to quickly point out that though there are not English signs around the complex, many of the structures have signs in Japanese that have a minimal explanation with a QR code link to international translations. The first building is the Haiden (Worship Hall), equipped with its own shimenawa, it is the hall where blessings and rights are performed for patrons and honored guests. For example, if you would like to bless your car for traffic safety, this is the hall to schedule the rites. After leaving the Haiden (oh! this is where you can get your goshuin!), guests can walk around the exterior of the inner sanctum where a great many small shrines can be visited. These shrines are typicaly home to a variety of minor gods, but some are home to major figures like Susano’o-no-kami, god of storms and seas. Along the sides of the inner sanctum are long buildings that almost look like they’re for storage, but in fact these jukusha are lodgings for the 8 millions gods that make their way to Izumo for Kamiarizuki.
The last thing I would like to talk about are the rabbit statues. All around Izumo, and particularly around Izumo Taisha, visitors will see a number of stone rabbit statues here and there. The short version of the legend goes that a rabbit wanted to visit a small island off the coast, but naturally the rabbit couldn’t swim so he decided that he would trick the nearby sharks into helping him get to the island. He challenged them to a contest to see who had more friends, but to make it fare, he asked them to line up head to tail and he would count them one by one as he jumped on their backs. Before the rabbit could make it to the shore though, the sharks realized the rabbit’s trick and tore the rabbit’s fur off. Completely embarassed by his folly and in pain from his wounds, he cried and cried while his friends laughed at him, saying he would feel better if he went in the salty sea (bad idea). Okuninushi came along and felt sorry for the rabbit, and after hearing his tale, he told the rabbit to wash in fresh water and lie in a pile of cattail reed flowers. The rabbit did just that and not only did he feel better, his fur grew back just as flufy and white as before. Because of this story, there are many rabbit statues around the shrine grounds, some of which have a mischievous smile.
Many people enjoy taking photos under this particular shimenawa due to its size.
It looks small here, but the Honden is massive.
