Why Izumo Taisha is worth the journey
Izumo is the setting of many of the oldest myths in the Kojiki, Japan's earliest chronicle, and Izumo Taisha is at the centre of them. Its deity, Ōkuninushi no Ōkami, is said to have built the land and then handed its rule to the descendants of the sun goddess in return for a great shrine of his own. The present main hall, the Honden, was built in 1744 in the ancient Taisha-zukuri style and stands about twenty-four metres tall, the tallest shrine hall in Japan. It is a National Treasure.
Legends say the shrine was once far taller, raised on huge pillars, and in 2000 excavations in the grounds found the bases of giant pillars made of three tree trunks bound together. You can see them at the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo next door, alongside models of what the tall shrine may have looked like.
Izumo is also a gentle place to practise Japanese. The approach is long and quiet, the signs are few and short, and the shrine staff, used to visitors asking about the unusual prayer, are patient with questions.
Getting there: Ichibata trains and buses
JR Izumoshi Station, on the San'in Line, is the main gateway; limited express trains from Okayama take around three hours. From its north side, Ichibata buses run to the shrine in about twenty-five minutes, stopping at Seimon-mae, the main entrance by the great wooden torii at the top of the approach. Alternatively, walk to Dentetsu-Izumoshi Station next door and take the Ichibata Railway, a small local line, changing at Kawato for the Taisha Line to Izumo Taisha-mae, the terminus near the foot of Shinmon-dōri.
From Matsue, the Ichibata Railway runs from Matsue Shinjiko Onsen Station along the north shore of Lake Shinji, again changing at Kawato, in about an hour. The lakeside ride is a pleasant way to arrive, and one-day passes make a round trip good value.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 出雲大社行きのバスはどこから出ますか。 | Izumo Taisha-yuki no basu wa doko kara demasu ka. | Where does the bus for Izumo Taisha leave from? |
| 川跡で乗り換えですか。 | Kawato de norikae desu ka. | Do I change at Kawato? |
| 出雲大社前まで一枚お願いします。 | Izumo Taisha-mae made ichimai onegai shimasu. | One ticket to Izumo Taisha-mae, please. |
| 一日乗車券はありますか。 | Ichinichi jōshaken wa arimasu ka. | Is there a one-day ticket? |
| 正門前で降りたいんですが。 | Seimon-mae de oritai n desu ga. | I'd like to get off at Seimon-mae. |
From the great torii to the Kaguraden: what you will see
The approach begins at Seidamari, the great wooden torii at the top of a gentle slope, and unusually for a shrine, it goes downhill. You pass the small Haraedo-no-yashiro, where you can purify yourself before continuing, then walk the Matsu-no-sandō, an avenue of old pine trees whose central path is traditionally left for the gods; walk at either side. After a bronze torii you reach the Haiden, the worship hall, with the Honden behind it.
The Honden itself is enclosed within fences, and you pray to it from the Yatsuashimon gate in front. Walk round the outside of the fence to see its tall roof from several sides, and to find the small Soga-no-yashiro shrine on the hillside behind it. To the west stands the Kaguraden, the hall used for ceremonies and weddings, with its famous shimenawa rope, about thirteen metres long and weighing over five tonnes.
- Seidamari: the great wooden torii at the top of the approach, by the main bus stop.
- Haraedo-no-yashiro: a small shrine for purification at the start of the approach.
- Matsu-no-sandō: the pine avenue; walk to the sides of the central path.
- Haiden: the worship hall, with its own shimenawa rope over the entrance.
- Yatsuashimon: the gate in front of the Honden, where most visitors pray to the main deity.
- Honden: the main hall, a National Treasure, about twenty-four metres tall.
- Soga-no-yashiro: a small shrine behind the Honden, set against the sacred hill.
- Kaguraden: the ceremonial hall with the giant shimenawa.
- Inasa-no-hama: the beach about a kilometre west, where the gods are said to arrive in Kamiarizuki.
Words on the signs
Shrine vocabulary is built from a few kanji. 殿, den, is a hall, so 拝殿 is the hall for worship, 本殿 the main hall and 神楽殿 the hall for kagura, sacred music and dance. 参道, sandō, is the approach to a shrine, and 社, yashiro or sha, is a shrine. The name Izumo Taisha uses the same kanji: 大社, great shrine.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 勢溜 | Seidamari | The great torii at the top of the approach |
| 松の参道 | Matsu no Sandō | The pine avenue approach |
| 拝殿 | haiden | Worship hall |
| 本殿 | honden | Main hall |
| 神楽殿 | Kaguraden | Ceremonial hall with the giant shimenawa |
| 神門通り | Shinmon-dōri | The shopping street leading to the shrine |
| 注連縄 | shimenawa | Sacred straw rope |
| 縁結び | en-musubi | Tying good connections |
| 神在月 | Kamiarizuki | The month when the gods gather in Izumo |
Japanese for prayer, charms and goshuin
At Izumo Taisha, the prayer is two bows, four claps and one bow, ni-rei, yon-hakushu, ichi-rei. Rinse your hands and mouth at the temizuya first, then approach the hall, toss a coin into the offering box, bow twice, clap four times, put your hands together to pray, and bow once more. Do the same at the Yatsuashimon and the other halls.
Charms, omamori, and prayer boards, ema, are given at the juyosho, the shrine office. En-musubi charms are the most sought after, and many visitors also collect the shrine's goshuin, a stamp with brushed calligraphy, in a special book. At a shrine, you receive a charm rather than buy it, so polite verbs such as itadaku fit well.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 縁結びのお守りをいただけますか。 | En-musubi no o-mamori o itadakemasu ka. | May I have an en-musubi charm? |
| 御朱印をお願いできますか。 | Goshuin o onegai dekimasu ka. | Could I ask for a goshuin? |
| 絵馬はどこに掛けますか。 | Ema wa doko ni kakemasu ka. | Where do I hang the ema? |
| 八足門はどちらですか。 | Yatsuashimon wa dochira desu ka. | Which way is the Yatsuashimon gate? |
| 神楽殿はこの先ですか。 | Kaguraden wa kono saki desu ka. | Is the Kaguraden further along here? |
| 割子そばを一つお願いします。 | Warigo soba o hitotsu onegai shimasu. | One warigo soba, please. |
Etiquette, timing and practical tips
Izumo Taisha is busy on weekends and at New Year, and very busy in Kamiarizuki, but outside those times it is calm and spacious.
- Bow at the Seidamari torii before you enter, and walk to the sides of the pine avenue rather than down the middle.
- Pray with two bows, four claps and one bow at every hall in the grounds.
- Do not touch or pull on the shimenawa ropes. Throwing coins at them to lodge in the straw damages them and is discouraged.
- Go early in the morning. The approach under the pines is quiet, and the light on the halls is soft.
- Walk to Inasa-no-hama, about fifteen to twenty minutes west, for the beach and the small shrine on its rock, especially near sunset.
- Try zenzai, sweet red bean soup, on Shinmon-dōri; Izumo is one of the places said to be its home.
Practise the visit before you go
This is the conversation many first-time visitors have at the shrine office. The answers are short and polite, with dōzo, please go ahead, pointing you to the counter. Practise the four lines until you can say them without reading.
Then practise with a partner who answers back. In Unihongo, choose the Shrine Visit topic and ask your AI Sensei to play a shrine attendant at Izumo Taisha, or pick Regional Dialects to hear how the Izumo region's speech differs from standard Japanese. Say the lines once before you go, and they will come easily at the counter.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| お参りのとき、手は何回たたきますか。 | O-mairi no toki, te wa nankai tatakimasu ka. | When I pray, how many times do I clap? |
| 出雲大社では四回です。 | Izumo Taisha de wa yonkai desu. | At Izumo Taisha, it's four times. |
| 縁結びのお守りはどこでいただけますか。 | En-musubi no o-mamori wa doko de itadakemasu ka. | Where can I receive an en-musubi charm? |
| あちらの授与所でどうぞ。 | Achira no juyosho de dōzo. | Please go to the shrine office over there. |
Official information
The shrine publishes its festival calendar, including the Kamiarizuki dates for each year, and the Izumo tourism association covers access and the town. Check both before you go.