Ken@Japan

Izumo Ooyashiro Shrine（出雲大社) is located in Izumo city and the enshrined male deity called Oo-kuni nushi is popular as a marriage/love tie supporter. The shrine is one of the biggest shrines in Japan and legendarily it is more than 2,700 years old. Compared to Japan's most sacred Ise Grand Shrine in Ise city, Mie, the shrine has such a tremendously long history. Oo-kuni nushi（大国主）, name of the enshrined deity, literally means “a head of the great country”. In the mythology, after many battles with his own brothers and one of his great ancestors, Susano-o, he managed civilization of Japan by developing lands/farms, teaching agricultural techniques and medical knowledge. Through these efforts, he finally became the first “head” of Japan. However, when his great ancestor Amaterasu　-the supreme sun deity- asked him to hand over the developed country to her and her family, he accepted and decided to retire from the governance of Japan. Upon his agreement, Amaterasu then decided to ...