Izumo Taisha

Izumo Taisha, officially Izumo Oyashiro, stands at Taisha in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture and is one of Japan’s most important Shinto shrines. Its principal kami is Okuninushi no Kami, a deity prominent in Japan’s earliest mythological records and closely associated today with en-musubi, the forming of beneficial human relationships.

The exact date of the shrine’s foundation is unknown, but Izumo Oyashiro is mentioned in early eighth-century texts including the Kojiki, Nihon Shoki and Izumo no Kuni Fudoki. The present Honden, or main sanctuary, dates from a rebuilding completed in 1744 and is designated a National Treasure. It is a major example of taisha-zukuri shrine architecture.

The shrine’s famous tradition holds that deities from across Japan gather in Izumo during the tenth lunar month; this should be understood as living religious tradition, not a historically verifiable event. Worship customs are distinctive: at the main precinct, visitors traditionally perform two bows, four claps and one final bow.

The sanctuary remains an active place of prayer as well as a major heritage site, and visitors can also see auxiliary shrines and the large sacred ropes associated with the complex.