Izumo Taisha,Where Japan's Shinto Gods Gather

Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine is where eight million Shinto gods gather for a meeting every year. It’s the oldest and one of the most important shrines in the country.

Summary

Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine is where eight million Shinto gods gather for a meeting every year. It’s the oldest and one of the most important shrines in the country. It enshrines a god of marriage and good relationships, attracting 2 million tourists every year. Learn more about the shrine in this article.

Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine, The Oldest Shrine In Japan

izumo taisha shimane Izumo city in Shimane Prefecture is home to one of Japan’s most prominent Shinto shrines, the Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine (Great Shrine of Izumo). About 2 million national and international tourists visit every year, especially in October (according to the lunar calendar), when eight million Shinto gods from all over Japan are thought to gather at Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine for a meeting. Since all the gods are at Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine, the shrine calls this month the Kamiarizuki or the month with gods, while the rest of the shrines call the same month Kannazuki, meaning month with no gods. It is believed that there is immense spiritual power at Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine during this time, and the possibility of your wish coming true rises dramatically, especially in the category of “establishing good relationships.”The focus is on “good relationships” because according to Shinto myths, the main Shinto god enshrined at Izumo Taisha is Okuninushi-no-Ookami, or the god of good relationships and marriage. Tourists often visit this shrine because they want to have good fortunes with their partner, or because they want their one-sided relationships to change into two-sided relationships. Needless to say, it’s a popular travel destination for couples and a popular venue for weddings. Although Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine has a strong image of bringing good luck to romantic relationships, if you are already in a healthy, long-lasting romantic relationship, it might help to know that the shrine is also believed to build healthy relationships between friends, business partners, or anyone you want a “good relationship” with.

Although there is no concrete evidence, Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine is believed to be the oldest shrine in Japan. For thousands of years, the sacred shrine has had a strong presence in the country, and continues to be worshipped and loved by many.

Things To Know About Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine

izumo taisha shimane How to Call the Shrine
The Kanji for the Shrine is commonly read as Izumo Taisha, but officially, it is read as Izumo Ooyashiro.

What to See
Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine is known for its large Shimenawa or sacred straw rope. The length is 44 ft (13.5 m), weighing 4.5 tons. Shimenawa are used to indicate sacred spaces. Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine contains what’s believed to be the largest Shimenawa in the country.

The main building of Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine is 78.7 ft (24 m) tall, which makes it one of the tallest shrines in the country.

The shrine has four Torii gates, each made with different materials: stone, wood, copper, and iron. It has been said that the number “four” brings happiness.

How to Pray
Visitors usually bow twice, clap twice and bow once at shrines. At Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine however, you clap four times instead. This is a custom practiced by some traditional shrines.

How to Behave During the Sacred Month of October
All Shinto gods in Japan gather for a meeting at the Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine in October, according to the Lunar calendar. During this month, it is still customary for residents of Izumo to spend their time quietly so that they do not disturb the meeting going on at the shrine. If you are visiting this time of the year, try to show respect to this custom by being quiet when you are in the area.

Getting To Know The Izumo Area

izumo taisha shimane Other than the shrine, Izumo is also famous for their soba or buckwheat noodles. In fact, Izumo soba is known to be one of the top three soba in the country. There are many soba restaurants including a traditional soba restaurant with 200 years of history.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of English explanations available in Shimane prefecture. Even inside the Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine, you will not see English explanations. If you want to learn more about the shrine, the gods and myths, the meaning of the various buildings inside the shrine, about the city itself, then consider learning from an English-speaking tour guide.