Izumo Taisha

Izumo Taisha is one of the oldest shrines in the country and one of the least decorated: unpainted cypress, heavy thatch, and an architecture so old it predates the Chinese-influenced styles seen elsewhere. The approach is unusual too, a pine avenue that goes downhill rather than up, past torii of stone, wood, steel and bronze in turn. The hall in front of the offering building carries one of the largest twisted straw ropes in Japan, thick as a car and hung with tassels. Custom here differs from most shrines: worshippers clap four times rather than two. The inner hall is a National Treasure and closed to visitors, seen only as roof lines above its fence.

History

According to the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, the god Ōkuninushi gave his land to Ninigi, grandson of Amaterasu, and Amaterasu, pleased, gave Izumo-taisha to Ōkuninushi. Tradition says the main hall was once much taller, which the discovery in 2000 of the remains of enormous pillars supports; the hall, which gives its name to the taisha-zukuri style, was made a National Treasure in 1952, and the shrine has been rebuilt every 60 to 70 years (Wikipedia, Izumo-taisha).

What to look for

• The descending pine avenue - a rare downhill approach through four torii of different materials.
• The great straw rope - a shimenawa of several tonnes hanging across the front of the kagura hall.
• The inner precinct - cypress and thatch roofs of the National Treasure hall, visible only from outside.
• Inasa no Hama - the beach west of the shrine with a rock and small torii offshore.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable, with clear coastal light in October and November. The shrine draws its heaviest crowds at New Year and during the tenth lunar month, when local tradition holds that the gods of the country gather here. Mornings before the coach parties are the quietest hours. Nothing here needs booking.

Things to know

The main hall cannot be entered and much of what makes the place remarkable is either hidden behind fences or invisible without some reading beforehand, so visitors expecting spectacle often leave underwhelmed in twenty minutes. The San'in coast is a genuine detour with sparse train services. The shopping street on the approach is ordinary. Sea wind off Inasa beach is cold from November.

Nearby

The Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo sits beside the shrine; Matsue Castle is an hour east.

Key facts