Izumo Taisha

is one of the most ancient and important of the Shinto shrines in Japan. Its name means "The Grand Shrine of Izumo." No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Taisha, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god Ōkuninushi-no-mikoto, famous as the shinto deity of marriage.

A style of architecture, Taisha-zukuri, takes its name from the main hall of Izumo Taisha. That hall, and the attached buildings, are National Treasures of Japan. According to tradition, the hall was previously much taller than presently. The recent discovery of the remains of enormous pillars has lent credence to this.

Several other buildings in the shrine compound are on the list of Important Cultural Assets of Japan.

Origin

According to the two oldest chronicles of Japan, the Kojiki and 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 control from Izumo, according to Shinto myths. Izumo, known as the realm of gods or land of myths, is also the province in which the Izumo Taisha is located. Izumo Taisha’s main structure was originally constructed to glorify the great achievement of Okuninushi-no-kami. Okuninushi-no-kami is considered the creator of Japan. Okuninushi-no-kami 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, Okuninushi-no-kami is considered the guardian god and god of happiness, as well as the god that establishes good relationships.

According to the Chronicles of Japan, the sun goddess, Amaterasu-omikami, 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 Chronicles of Japan). The other gods were gathered and ordered by Amaterasu-omikami to build the grand palace at the foot of Mt. Uga-yama. There is no knowledge of exactly when Izumo Taisha was built but a record compiled around 950 (Heian era) describes the shrine as the highest building reaching approximately 48 meters, which exceeds the 45 meter temple that enshrined the Great Image of Buddha, Todaiji Temple. This was due to early Shinto cosmology, where the people believed the gods (kami) were believed to have been above the human world and were to belong to the most extraordinary and majestic parts of nature. Therefore, Izumo Taisha could have been an attempt to create a place for the kami 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 most enormous wooden structure in Japan when it was originally constructed. Before being known as Izumo Oyashiro 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. However, in the Kamakura era, 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.

Evidence of the original Grand Shrine has been found. For example, part of one of the pillar for the structure had been found which was three cedar trees with a three meter diameter at its base used as one column. When visiting the shrine, one can see this evidence. Although there is not much evidence one can see when visiting the shrine, there is a shop just before the main entrance to the shrine that has a smaller scale model of the original main structure of Izumo Taisha made by the local college students.

Kagura Den

Kagura Den is the hall for the sacred dance to music. This hall was first built in 1776 as a grand hall for traditional ritual to take place by the Senge family, Izumo Kokuso, or Governor of Izumo. However, it was rebuilt in 1981 to commemorate the centennial of the foundation of 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 two hundred and forty mats. Also worshipped by prayers is a frame with four dyed Chinese characters, meaning “the Oracle Filled with Aureole,” by Prince Arisugawa above the altar.

hinkoden

Shinkoden consists of two floors. The first floor is the reception office for Kagura Den. 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 Shinkoden 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, through the Seto Inland Sea, and to the Inasa Beach near Izumo Taisha.

Architecture

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. 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 eight 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.

Festivals

Festivals in Izumo are a time when the people gather around the god to fulfill their wish to live a happy life. One of the most important festivals 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 is Omike Festival, January 3 is Fukumukae Festival, January 5 is The Beginning Sermon Festival, February 17 is Kikoku (prayer for abundant crops) Festival, April 1 is Kyoso Festival, June 1 is Suzumidono Festival, and August 6-9 is Izumo Oyashiro-kyo Religion Festival. In October of the lunar calendar, a festival is held to welcome all the gods to Izumo Grand Shrine. It is believed that the gods gather to discuss the coming year’s marriages, deaths, and births. For this reason, people around the Izumo area call October the month with gods but the rest of Japan calls October the month without gods.

Administrator's Family

The descendants of Amenohohi-no-mikoto, the second son of the sun goddess and ancestor of the imperial family, have been, in the name of Izumo Kokuso or governor of Izumo, taking over rituals because when Izumo Taisha was founded Amenohohi-no-mikoto rendered service to Okuninushi-no-kami. Takatoshi Senge, the 83rd-generation Izumo Kokuso, died in February 2002 at the age of 89. He was chosen to be the chief priest of Izumo Taisha in 1947.

References

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.

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, from http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~lbaker/Education/RLST104PO/Research.pdf

Senge, chief priest of Izumo Shrine, dies at 89. (2002, April 18). Japan Economic Newswire. Retrieved July 28, 2008, from the LexisNexis Academic database.

Ancient Izumo in the spotlight. (2007, February 26, p.19). The Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo), 1. Retrieved July 12, 2008, from the LexisNexis Academic database.

External links

* [http://www2.pref.shimane.jp/kodai/about-kodai/matsuo2.pdf Architecture of the Izumo Grand Shrine]
* [http://www.japanfanfare.net/index.php/more-places/54-more-places/960-izumo-taisha Izumo Taisha Shrine]
* [http://www.trussel.com/prehist/news196.htm Heian-period discovery at Izumo]