Izumo Ooyashiro Shrine

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 send one of her grandchildren to the land of Japan and the grandchildren’s offspring would unify the Japan and became the first Emperor Jinmu later.

In return for the retirement, Oo-kuni nushi asked Amaterasu to build a sumptuous palace for him, which was very high enough to touch the sky. Amaterasu accepted this plea and Ookuni-nushi’s grand palace was established. The palace is thought to be the first origin of this shrine. An archaeological investigation was held a few years ago and it was identified that there used to be big pillars to support the heavenly-high divine building at the shrine.

Amaterasu sent one of her sons as special priest to the palace in order to honor Ookuni-nushi’s great works and it is said that the head-priest of the shrine should be inherited by descendants of the Amaterasu’s son. The head priest is called Izumo-no-kuni-no-miyatsuko（出雲国造）and the current one is the 87 th from the first priest.

The main building for the deity’s enshrinement is temporarily closed due to its restoration work. Izumo Ooyashiro Shrine has conducted the renovation works once in 60 years in both a religious/spiritual meaning and a culture-protection meaning. The restoration was started several years ago for the building’s roof (a traditional thatched roof) and other roof-decorative parts. During the restoration work, the deity is enshrined in a temporary building built just in front of the main shrine and people should pray at the temporary building. According to the shrine’s schedule, there will be a special festival for the deity to move back to the restored main building on May 10, 2013. With its move-back, the restoration would be completed.

Though it is called “festival”, it is not like what we may imagine with the word “festival”. No entertainments, no food stands/shops, no fireworks. It is more religious and kept in secret; people cannot watch it because it is a core of the shrine’s spirituality. Not like a Buddhist temple, the object that is believed for the deity’s spirit to exist inside is hidden deeply inside the main building and we are all told to refrain from seeing it directly unless you are qualified. According to related articles, in the festival, purified priests would transfer the divine item from the temporary building to the restored main building.