Izumo Shrine
Izumo Taisha (also known as Izumo no Oyashiro, the Grand Shrine of Izumo), one of the oldest and most influential shrines in Japan, is located in Kizuki, Shimane Prefecture, once the feudal Izumo domain. It enshrines the deity Okuninushino-mikoto, known popularly as Daikoku-sama.
Izumo Shrine is built in the archaic taisha-zukuri ("great-shrine building") style of shrine architecture. The present buildings date from 1744, although a major fire in 1953 necessitated some rebuilding. The main building, surmounted by a great thatched, slightly concave roof rising eighty feet above the foundation, is the largest shrine in Japan. During the month of October, by the lunar calendar, all the Shinto deities of the country are believed to depart their local shrines and gather at Izumo Taisha. Various rites are observed to welcome, honor, and later send off these deities on their return to their local shrines. This period, known throughout Japan as kaminazuki ("month when the gods are absent") is known at Izumo as kamiarizuki ("month when the gods are present").
The Great Shrine of Izumo in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. (SAKAMOTO PHOTO RESEARCH/CORBIS)The shrine is popular among young couples for bestowing felicitous marital relations and is also thought to protect agriculture and offer good fortune.
Further Reading
Boching, Brian. (1995) A Popular Dictionary of Shinto. Surrey, U.K.: Curzon Press.
Holtom, D. C. (1965) The National Faith of Japan: A Study in Modern Shinto. New York: Paragon Book Reprint.
Picken, Stuart D. B. (1994) Essentials of Shinto: An Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
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