, officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important
Shinto shrines in
Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in
Izumo,
Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god , famous as the Shinto deity of marriage and to
Kotoamatsukami
In Shinto, is the collective name for the first gods which came into existence at the time of the creation of the universe. They were born in Takamagahara, the world of Heaven at the time of the creation. Unlike the later gods, these deities were ...
, distinguishing heavenly ''kami''. The shrine is believed by many to be the oldest Shinto shrine in Japan, even predating the
Ise Grand Shrine
The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and .
The Inner ...
.
A style of architecture, ''
taisha-zukuri
Kamosu Jinja's ''honden'' and a granary at Toro
is an ancient Japanese architectural style and the oldest Shinto shrine architectural style. Named after Izumo Taisha's ''honden'' (sanctuary), like Ise Grand Shrine's ''shinmei-zukuri'' styl ...
'', takes its name from the main hall of Izumo-taisha. That hall, and the attached buildings, were designated
National Treasures of Japan in 1952. According to tradition, the hall was previously much taller than at present. The discovery in the year 2000 of the remains of enormous pillars has lent credence to this.
The shrine has been rebuilt every 60 to 70 years to maintain the power of the ''
kami
are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...
'' and maintain architectural techniques. This regular rebuilding process is called "Sengū" (遷宮) and has long been practiced at a handful of important Shinto shrines, the
Ise Grand Shrine
The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and .
The Inner ...
being rebuilt every 20 years.
Several other buildings in the shrine compound are on the list of
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
An The term is often shortened into just is an item officially classified as Tangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) and judged to be of ...
.
Origins
According to the two oldest chronicles of Japan, the ''
Kojiki'' and the ''
Nihon Shoki'', when
Ninigi-no-Mikoto, grandson of the Sun Goddess
Amaterasu, descended from the heavens, the god Ōkuninushi granted his country to
Ninigi-no-Mikoto. Amaterasu was much pleased by this action and she presented Izumo-taisha to Ōkuninushi.
At one time, the Japanese islands were controlled from Izumo, according to Shinto myths. Izumo, known as the realm of gods or the land of myths, is Izumo-taisha's province. Its main structure was originally constructed to glorify the great achievement of Ōkuninushi, considered the creator of Japan. Ōkuninushi was devoted to the building of the nation, in which he shared many joys and sorrows with the ancestors of the land. In addition to being the savior, Ōkuninushi is considered the guardian god and god of happiness, as well as the god who establishes good relationships.
![Izumo-taisha scale model 121281969 6127ff6b17 o](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Izumo-taisha_scale_model_121281969_6127ff6b17_o.jpg)
According to the ''
Nihon Shoki'', the sun goddess Amaterasu said, "From now on, my descendants shall administer the affairs of state. You shall cast a spell of establishing good relationship over people to lead them a happy life. I will build your residence with colossal columns and thick and broad planks in the same architectural style as mine and name it Amenohisu-no-miya." The other gods were gathered and ordered by Amaterasu to build the grand palace at the foot of Mt. Uga.
There is no knowledge of exactly when Izumo-taisha was built, but a record compiled around 950 (
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...
) describes the shrine as the highest building, reaching approximately 48 meters, which exceeds in height the 45 meter-tall temple that enshrined the Great Image of Buddha,
Tōdai-ji
is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergo ...
. This was due to early Shinto cosmology, when the people believed the gods (kami) were above the human world and belonged to the most extraordinary and majestic parts of nature. Therefore, Izumo-taisha could have been an attempt to create a place for the
kami
are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...
that would be above humans.
According to ''Kojiki'', the legendary stories of old Japan, and ''Nihon Shoki'', the chronicles of old Japan, Izumo-taisha was considered the largest wooden structure in Japan when it was originally constructed. Before being known as Izumo Ōyashiro or Izumo-taisha, the shrine was known as Okami-no-miya in Izumo, Itsukashinokami-no-miya, Kizuki-no-Oyashiro, Kizuki-no-miya, or Iwakumanoso-no-miya.
Evidence of the original Grand Shrine has been found. For example, part of one of the pillars for the structure was found: three cedar trees with a three-meter diameter at its base. It is on display at the shrine. Although there is not much early evidence one can see when visiting, there is a shop just before the main entrance that has a smaller scale model of the original main structure made by local college students.
History
![Izumotaisha 17feb1875](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Izumotaisha_17feb1875.jpg)
During the
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...
, around 1200, the main structure was reduced in size. Then in 1744, the shrine was reconstructed to the present size of 24 meters high and 11 meters square at its base.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, as travel became more common in Japan, the shrine became a central place of
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
.
Since the shrine spirit was settled in the inner shrine in 1744, it has been relocated three times for renovation of the inner shrine, using a traditional ceremony. The relocations took place in 1809, 1881, and 1953.
From 1871 through 1946, the Izumo-taisha was officially designated one of the , meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines.
In April 2008, the spirit was moved to temporary housing in the front shrine of Izumo-taisha in preparation for the Heisei-period renovations. Izumo-taisha's inner shrine was opened to the public for the first time in 60 years in the summer of 2008. On completion of the renovations, Ōkuninushi was returned to the inner shrine in a ceremony attended by over 8,000 people, held on May 11, 2013.
Architecture
![IzumoTaisha-honden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/IzumoTaisha-honden.JPG)
The main structure of Izumo Oyashiro was built in the
Taisha style, the oldest style of building shrines. An impressive sized gable-entrance structure is built for the main structure, which gave the name of The Great Shrine or The Grand Shrine. The main hall (''
honden'') bears an enormous ''
chigi Chigi may refer to:
* Chigi (dog), a crossbreed between a Welsh Corgi and a chihuahua (dog)
* House of Chigi, a Roman princely family
* Chigi (architecture)
, or are forked roof finials found in Japanese and Shinto architecture. predate Bu ...
'' (scissor-shaped finials at the front and back ends of the roof). A Japanese architecture book states, "In plan, the present Main Shrine resembles that of the Daijoe Shoden, built for the accession of each new Emperor. The main shrine at Izumo is thought, therefore, to preserve a floor plan characteristic of ancient domestic architecture" (Nishi & Hozumi, 1985, p. 41). From the view of architectures, the original height of the main structure of Izumo Taisha makes it difficult to study the historical building styles and methods. However, what is known is that from the construction of a building as big as the main structure, major problems were presented. Because of this, structural and stylistic changes occurred each time the main structure was rebuilt, which caused the outer form to be less reflective of the original construction of the main structure. Although the outside of the structure changed with each reconstruction, the floor plan remained virtually unchanged. The layout consists of nine support pillars arranged so that the inside is divided into four sections and causes the entrance to be off-centered. A significant characteristic that is common among most shrines is the symmetrical design, making the main structure of Izumo-taisha peculiar for its asymmetrical floor plan. The main structure was built more like a home rather than a shrine which suggests that between the people and kami there was a less formal relationship than at other shrines.
Kagura-den
![Izumo-taisha01nt3200](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Izumo-taisha01nt3200.jpg)
Izumo-taisha's was first built in 1776 by the Senge family, Izumo Kokusō, or governor of
Izumo, as a grand hall for performance of traditional rituals. It was rebuilt in 1981 to commemorate the centennial of the foundation of the Izumo Oyashiro-kyo order.
Traditional prayer by Izumo Kokuso, wedding ceremonies of believers, and the performances of sacred dance to ancient Japanese music involve the
Oracle with 240 mats. Also worshipped with prayer is a frame with four dyed
Kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
characters, meaning "the Oracle Filled with Aureole," by Prince Arisugawa above the
altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
.
The Kagura-den features the largest ''
shimenawa'' (sacred straw rope) in Japan; it is 13.5 meters long and weighs around 5 tons. The rope is one of the most easily recognized and distinctive features of Izumo-taisha.
Shōkokan
![Izumo-taisha10n4592](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Izumo-taisha10n4592.jpg)
The consists of two floors. The first floor is the reception office for ''Kaguraden''. The second floor consists of a museum for important items.
Some items in the museum are items designated as national treasure and important cultural assets, like jewelry, household articles, paintings, swords, and musical instruments.
Considered most important in ''Shōkokan'' are a set of Japan's oldest wooden pestle and an igniting board and a small boat that was hollowed out of a piece of wood. The small boat was believed to have come from the upper stream of the
Yoshino River
The Yoshino River (吉野川 ''Yoshino-gawa'') is a river on the island of Shikoku, Japan. It is long and has a watershed of . It is the second longest river in Shikoku (slightly shorter than the Shimanto), and is the only river whose watershe ...
, through the Seto Inland Sea, and to the Inasa Beach near Izumo-taisha.
Festivals
Festivals or ''
matsuri
Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time to have little resemblance ...
'' in Izumo are times when people gather around the god to fulfill their wish to live a happy life. One of the most important in Izumo-taisha is the Imperial Festival held on May 14. Following the Imperial Festival is the Grand Festival on May 14 and 15.
Some other major festivals are January 1, Omike Festival; January 3, Fukumukae Festival; January 5, Beginning Sermon Festival; February 17, Kikoku (prayer for abundant crops) Festival; April 1, Kyoso Festival; June 1, Suzumidono Festival; and August 6–9 is Izumo Oyashiro-kyo Religion Festival.
In the tenth month of the traditional lunar calendar, a festival is held to welcome all the gods to Izumo Grand Shrine. It is believed that the gods convene at Izumo Shrine in October to discuss the coming year's marriages, deaths, and births. For this reason, people around the Izumo area call October
''kamiarizuki'' ("the month with gods"), but the rest of Japan calls October ''
Kannazuki'' ("the month without gods").
Administrator's family
The descendants of , the second son of , the sun goddess whose first son is the ancestor of the imperial family, have been, in the name of or governor of Izumo, taking over rituals because when Izumo-taisha was founded Amenohohi-no-mikoto rendered service to Okuninushi-no-kami. The family's conflict around 1340 made them separated into two lineages, and .
After the separation those two families took the position of Izumo Kokuso by turns until the late 19th century. Shinto was reconstructed as modernized Japan's national religion in the late 19th century. In 1871, Izumo-taisha was designated as an Imperial-associated shrine and the government sent a new administrator so Izumo kokuso families were no more the administrators of Izumo-taisha. Senge and Kitajima established their religious corporations respectively, by Senge and by Kitajima.
Under the
Allied occupation after World War II, Shinto was separated from the government control and Izumo-taisha was reformed into a private shrine, then Senge and its Izumo-taisha-kyo took back the position of the administrator of Izumo-taisha. , the 83rd-generation Izumo Kokuso of Senge lineage, was chosen to be the chief priest of Izumo-taisha in 1947. He died in February 2002 at the age of 89.
Currently, the position of the administrator of Izumo-taisha is succeeded by Senge lineage. Its Izumo-taisha-kyo is better known nationwide and has more followers in total, " (1998/8)", but locally Kitajima lineage and its Izumo-kyo has more followers around Izumo region. Kitajima is the more orthodox Izumo kokuso. " (1898)". On October 5, 2014, Kunimaro Senge, eldest son of the current administrator Takamasa Senge, married
Princess Noriko
, formerly , is a former member of the Imperial House of Japan and the second daughter of Norihito, Prince Takamado and Hisako, Princess Takamado. She married Kunimaro Senge, a commoner, on 5 October 2014. As a result, she gave up her imperial ...
at the shrine. Princess Noriko is a daughter of the late Prince Takamado, a cousin of the now-
Emperor Emeritus of Japan.
["Japantimes - Princess Noriko to wed]
Tokyo, 27 May 2014. Retrieved on 4 October 2014
Gallery
Image:Izumotaisha-doutorii.JPG, Bronze ''torii
A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
The presence of a ''torii'' at the entrance is usually the simple ...
'' gate
Image:Izumo-taisha 121538651 f69f257ed0 o.jpg, Roofs with ''chigi Chigi may refer to:
* Chigi (dog), a crossbreed between a Welsh Corgi and a chihuahua (dog)
* House of Chigi, a Roman princely family
* Chigi (architecture)
, or are forked roof finials found in Japanese and Shinto architecture. predate Bu ...
'' and ''katsuogi
or are short, decorative logs found on Japanese and Shinto architecture. They are placed at right angles to the ridgeline of roofs, and are usually featured in religious or imperial architecture. ''Katsuogi'' predate Buddhist influence and ...
''
Image:Izumo-taisha05n4592.jpg, Nishi-jukusha
Image:Izumo-shrine Haiden01.jpg, The ''haiden Haiden may refer to:
*A Gewürztraminer wine
* Haiden (Shinto), the hall of worship of a Shinto shrine
See also
* Heiden (disambiguation)
{{disambig ...
'', or prayer hall
Image:Izumo-shrine Haiden Honden.jpg, The inner sanctuary behind the ''haiden''
Image:IzumoTaisha-soganoyashiro.JPG, Soga-no-Yashiro
Image:IzumoTaisha.JPG, The ''honden''
Image:IzumoTaisha-doutorii-meibun.JPG, Pillar inscription
Image:Izumo-shrine Shin-no-mihashira.jpg, Replica of pillars of the ancient shrine
Image:Izumooyashiro13.JPG, Reconstruction of part of Izumo shrine in ancient times
Image:Izumooyashiro11.JPG, Reconstruction of part of Izumo shrine in the Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...
Image:Izumooyashiro08.JPG, Reconstruction of part of Izumo shrine in the Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...
to modern time.
See also
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts: others)
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (shrines)
The number of Shinto shrines in Japan today has been estimated at more than 150,000. Single structure shrines are the most common. Shrine buildings might also include oratories (in front of main sanctuary), purification halls, offering halls called ...
*
Ōkuninushi
Ōkuninushi ( historical orthography: ''Ohokuninushi''), also known as Ō(a)namuchi (''Oho(a)namuchi'') or Ō(a)namochi (''Oho(a)namochi'') among other variants, is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology. He is one of the central deities in the cycle ...
*
Ko-Shintō
refers to the animistic religion of Jōmon period Japan, which is the alleged basis of modern Shinto. The search for traces of Koshintō began with the "Restoration Shinto" in the Edo period, which goal was to remove any foreign ideas and worl ...
*
Shinto shrine
*
Tourism in Japan
Japan attracted 31.88 million international tourists in 2019. Japan has 21 World Heritage Sites, including Himeji Castle, Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto and Nara. Popular foreigner attractions include Tokyo and Hiroshima, Mount F ...
References
General references
* ''Ancient Izumo in the spotlight''. (2007, February 26, p. 19). The Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo), 1. Retrieved July 12, 2008, from the LexisNexis Academic database.
* ''Guide to Izumo Oyashiro''. (n.d.). (Pamphlet available to visitors at the shrine)
* ''Izumo Shrine Find Points to Huge Ancient Building''. (2000, April, p. 29). The Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo), 1. Retrieved July 12, 2008, from the LexisNexis Academic database.
* Lucas, B. (2002, May 7).
History and Symbolism in Shinto Shrine Architecture'. Harvey Mudd College Web. Retrieved July 26, 2008
* Nishi, K., & Hozumi, K. (1985). ''What is Japanese Architecture?: A survey of traditional Japanese architecture, with a list of sites and a map''. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
*
Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887* ''Senge, chief priest of Izumo Shrine, dies at 89''. (2002, April 18). Japan Economic Newswire. Retrieved July 28, 2008, from the LexisNexis Academic database.
External links
Official Site(Japanese)
Architecture of the Izumo Grand Shrine
{{Authority control
National Treasures of Japan
Shinto shrines in Shimane Prefecture
Izumo Province
Shinto
Beppyo shrines
Kanpei-taisha