Izumo

出雲市いずもしIzumo-shi

Where the gods of Japan gather

Izumo is a city on the plain west of Lake Shinji in Shimane Prefecture, best known for Izumo Taisha, one of the oldest and most important Shinto shrines in Japan. The area is the setting of the Izumo myths in the Kojiki and rich in archaeological finds.

Overview

Izumo spreads across the fertile plain of the Hii River between Lake Shinji and the Sea of Japan, backed to the north by the Shimane peninsula. It is the second-largest city of Shimane and an agricultural and industrial centre, but its name is known throughout Japan because of the shrine that stands at the foot of the mountains in its north-west.

Izumo Taisha, officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is dedicated to Ōkuninushi, the god who in the myths built the land and then ceded it to the heavenly gods. Its main hall, rebuilt in 1744, is a National Treasure, and the shrine is visited above all for en-musubi, the forming of good bonds, including marriage. Each autumn, according to tradition, the gods of the whole country gather here.

The city is equally rich in archaeology. The bronze swords of Kōjindani, the bronze bells of Kamo-Iwakura and the giant pillars of an earlier shrine hall are shown at the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo next to the shrine. West of the shrine, Inasa Beach and the cape of Hinomisaki complete the sacred landscape.

Landmarks

Izumo Taisha
出雲大社Izumo Ōyashiro
Shrine of Ōkuninushi with a 24-metre main hall in the ancient taisha-zukuri style; worshippers bow twice, clap four times and bow once.
Kagura-den
神楽殿Kagura-den
Hall of the shrine hung with one of the largest shimenawa (sacred straw ropes) in Japan.
Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo
島根県立古代出雲歴史博物館Shimane Kenritsu Kodai Izumo Rekishi Hakubutsukan
Displays the Kōjindani swords and Kamo-Iwakura bells, both National Treasures, and the excavated shrine pillars.
Inasa Beach
稲佐の浜Inasa no hama
The beach where the gods are said to land, and the setting of the land-ceding myth, with the rock of Bentenjima.
Hinomisaki Lighthouse
出雲日御碕灯台Izumo Hinomisaki tōdai
A white stone lighthouse of 1903 on the cliffs of Hinomisaki, the tallest stone lighthouse in Japan.
Hinomisaki Shrine
日御碕神社Hinomisaki Jinja
A vermilion shrine complex by the sea dedicated to Amaterasu and Susanoo.
Kōjindani site
荒神谷遺跡Kōjindani iseki
The hillside where the bronze swords were found, with a site museum and ancient lotus fields.
Former Taisha Station
旧大社駅Kyū-Taisha-eki
A shrine-style wooden station building of 1924, an Important Cultural Property.

Districts

Taisha
大社町Taisha-machi
The shrine town along the Shinmon-dōri approach, with soba shops and inns.
Imaichi
今市Imaichi
The commercial centre around JR Izumo-shi Station.
Hirata
平田Hirata
An old river-trading town near Lake Shinji with merchant houses and storehouses.
Sada
佐田Sada
Mountainous district in the south, the upper Kando valley.
Hikawa
斐川Hikawa
Farmland on the Hii River with windbreak hedges (tsuiji-matsu) around the farmhouses.

History

The Izumo plain was a centre of power from the Yayoi period, when chieftains were buried in the large corner-projecting mounds of Nishidani. The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki record Izumo's myths, and the Izumo Fudoki of 733 describes the shrine and its region in detail. Tradition holds that the shrine hall once stood on towering pillars; in 2000 excavations revealed pillars made of three bound cedar trunks from a thirteenth-century hall.

In the Edo period the shrine was supported by the Matsudaira of Matsue, and pilgrim guides (oshi) spread devotion to it across Japan. The town of Imaichi became Izumo City in 1941, and the present city was formed by mergers in 2005 and 2011.

2nd–3rd c.
Chieftains are buried in the corner-projecting mounds of Nishidani.
733
The Izumo Fudoki describes the great shrine of Kizuki, now Izumo Taisha.
1248
A main hall is built whose triple-trunk pillars were excavated in 2000.
1744
The present main hall of Izumo Taisha is completed.
1912
The Taisha Line opens, bringing pilgrims by rail; its station building of 1924 survives.
1941
Izumo City is incorporated.
1984
358 bronze swords are found at Kōjindani, followed in 1996 by 39 bronze bells at Kamo-Iwakura.
2005
Mergers with Hirata, Taisha and three other municipalities create the present city; Hikawa follows in 2011.
2013
The main deity is returned to the main hall after the great renovation of Izumo Taisha.

Culture

Life in Izumo follows the shrine's calendar. In the tenth lunar month, called Kamiarizuki here, fires are lit at Inasa Beach to welcome the gods, and the shrine holds the Kamiari-sai. The city is also the home of the Izumo Ekiden, a university relay race held on Sports Day in October. Distinctive windbreak hedges of black pine, clipped flat on the west side, surround the farmhouses of the plain.

Festivals

Kamimukae-sai and Kamiari-sai
神迎祭・神在祭Kamimukae-sai, Kamiari-sai
On the evening of the tenth day of the tenth lunar month the gods are welcomed at Inasa Beach and escorted to the shrine for a week of rites.
Grand Festival of Izumo Taisha
出雲大社大祭礼Izumo Ōyashiro Daisairei
The shrine's main annual festival in mid-May, with offerings, performances and a festive approach road.
Izumo Ekiden
出雲全日本大学選抜駅伝競走Izumo Zen-Nihon Daigaku Senbatsu Ekiden Kyōsō
A long-distance university relay race starting at Izumo Taisha on Sports Day in October.

Food

Warigo soba
割子そばWarigo soba
Izumo soba in stacked round lacquer dishes, with the dipping sauce poured over.
Kamaage soba
釜揚げそばKamaage soba
Hot soba served in its thick cooking water.
Zenzai
ぜんざいZenzai
Sweet red-bean soup with mochi; Izumo claims its origin in jinzai-mochi, offered during the gods' gathering.
Izumo grapes
出雲のぶどうIzumo no budō
Delaware grapes grown under glass and in the open on the plain, with a local winery.

Getting around

JR Izumo-shi Station is the western terminus of limited express trains from Okayama and of the overnight Sunrise Izumo from Tokyo.
Buses run from Izumo-shi Station to Izumo Taisha in about 25 minutes and continue to Hinomisaki.
The Ichibata Railway links Dentetsu Izumo-shi and Matsue Shinjiko Onsen with Izumo-Taisha-mae Station, changing at Kawato.
Izumo Enmusubi Airport is on the shore of Lake Shinji, about 30 minutes by bus from Izumo-shi Station.

Day trips

Matsue
松江Matsue
The castle town on Lake Shinji, an hour by the Ichibata Railway.
Iwami Ginzan
石見銀山Iwami Ginzan
The World Heritage silver mine, about an hour to the south-west.
Tamatsukuri Onsen
玉造温泉Tamatsukuri Onsen
Ancient spa on the southern shore of Lake Shinji.
Okuizumo
奥出雲Okuizumo
Highlands of tatara iron-making, rice terraces and the landscapes of the Orochi myth.
Mount Sanbe
三瓶山Sanbe-san
Grassland volcano with a buried ancient forest museum, part of Daisen-Oki National Park.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalMatsueMatsue-shiThe water city of the Matsudaira between two lakes TownTsuwanoTsuwano-chōThe Little Kyoto of San'in in a mountain valley

Frequently asked questions

How do you worship at Izumo Taisha?

Unlike at most shrines, where visitors clap twice, at Izumo Taisha they bow twice, clap four times and bow once.

When do the gods gather in Izumo?

In the tenth month of the lunar calendar, which usually falls in November. The Kamimukae-sai at Inasa Beach opens the period.

Is Izumo Taisha the oldest shrine in Japan?

It is among the oldest; it is mentioned in the Kojiki and the Izumo Fudoki, but no single shrine can be proven to be the oldest.

How much time is needed for Izumo?

Half a day covers Izumo Taisha and the Museum of Ancient Izumo; a full day adds Inasa Beach and Hinomisaki.

Sources

1.出雲市公式ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 出雲市
2.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
3.出雲大社 (opens in a new tab) — 出雲大社
4.国指定文化財等データベース (opens in a new tab) — 文化庁
5.Izumo (opens in a new tab) — JNTO