Izumo Taisha : Japan’s most mysterious temple

Izumo Taisha


Izumo Ooyashiro is one of the oldest, most important and mysterious shrines in Japan.

It is more famously called Izumo Taisha

The deity enshrined is Okuninushi-no-Kami. In Japanese mythology, it is said that this is the deity who cultivated and built Japan.



When the first shrine was built in this area remains a mystery. The current shrine was built in 1744 and is designated as a national treasure.


Izumo Trisha is surrounded by large parks and wooded areas, near the entrance to the main area is a statue of Okuninushi handing over the lands of Japan to the heavens and is granted domain over En-musubi signified by a giant wave he kneels in front of, as this scene did take place at nearby Inasa-no-hama Beach.


The ritual for praying at Izumo Taisha is slightly different than at other shrines around Japan. Instead of clapping twice as you usually do at a Shinto shrine, at Izumo, you clap four times—twice for yourself and twice for your current or future partner.

Many young Japanese girls come to the shrine to pray for luck finding a future husband. Okuninushi is the Shinto god of marriage and good relationships, after all.

This has made the shrine into a very popular wedding destination as well. In 2014, a member of the Japanese royal family, Princess Noriko, tied the knot here.

Izumo Taisha practices sengu, a reconstruction of the shrine at fixed intervals so as to keep the shrine’s spiritual power continually refreshed. In Izumo Taisha’s case it is done every 60 years in rotating construction on one part of the shrine at a time instead of everything all at once, and in 2013 the honden was reopened after reconstruction on the roof. Because this was relatively recent, Okuninushi is said to still be in a good mood with his fresh new space.

Izumo Taisha is believed to have been the tallest building in Japan during ancient times. It is said that the building was immense, standing 96 meters (about 315 ft) tall. Presently it stands at 24 meters (78 ft) tall. Even so, its majestic appearance continues to impress visitors.

At the back of the hall, there’s a cluster of cute rabbit statues! The rabbits are important to this shrine because of their connection to Okuninushi. Japan’s sacred text of creation stories, the Kojiki, tells a legend about how the god rescued a white rabbit from being eaten by sharks.

The giant straw ropes called shimenawa are Izumo Taisha’s most famous feature. They represent the separation between the mortal and supernatural worlds. In fact, the shimenawa at the Kagura Hall at Izumo Taisha are the largest in Japan, measuring 13 meters long and weighing five tons.

If you’re planning a trip to Shimane prefecture, then Izumo Taisha is well worth a visit

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