※This article was published at November 2014.※
Izumo Taisha in Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture is one of Japan’s most historic and prestigious shrines.
The shrine dedicated to Okuninushi no Mikoto that appears in Kojiki, which is said to be one of the oldest books in Japan, and the main shrine is designated a national treasure.
According to Japanese mythology, there are deities dwelling in everything.
According to the legend of the eight million deities, these eight million deities gather once every year at Izumo Taisha.
Because all of the deities went to Izumo during the tenth lunar month according to Japan’s old lunar calendar, this month was referred to as the Kamiarizuki (the month with deities) in Izumo and the Kannazuki (the month without deities) in the rest of Japan.
There are several theories as to what the Japanese deities that gather at Izumo Taisha are doing.
According to one of the two most popular theories, October 16 is the death date of Izanami-no-Mikoto, the goddess of creation in Japan according to Shinto.
It is said that deities from across Japan gather to make sake to serve as an offering for that day.
Another theory is that the deities to hold a “marriage meeting” to determine which human men and women will get married and to whom.
Izumo Taisha is famous as the shrine for marriage and relationships thanks to this theory, and many men and women with relationship issues visit Izumo Taisha to prey for success in love and relationships.
These relationships are not limited to love between men and women, and accordingly Izumo Taisha serves as a shrine bringing good luck to the various relationships between people, including work and family relationships.
Information
Izumo Taisha Office
195 Kizuki-Higashi, Taisha-machi, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture 699-0701
Telephone number: 0853-53-3100
Fax number: 0853-53-2515
Business hours: 8:30 to 17:00
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