For three days from May 14th to 16th, the most important festival of the year, the Taisairei, will be held at Izumo Taisha in Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture.
Izumo Taisha is a shrine that was the setting for the transfer of the country in Japanese mythology, and the enshrined deity, Okuninushi no Okami, is widely known as the god of matchmaking. The Grand Festival is the annual festival of Izumo Taisha Shrine.
⛩️ Izumo's annual festival attended by imperial envoys
The grand festival is held over three days. On the 14th, the festival is held as a ``Chokusai,'' where the Emperor's envoys attend. Imperial festivals are highly prestigious rituals that are only held at a limited number of shrines throughout the country, and the grand festival at Izumo Taisha is one of them.
On the 15th, the ``Gurusai'' is held, where believers of the Izumo Taisha religion gather from all over the country, and on the 16th, mikoshi (portable shrines) are paraded around the shrine. The sight of Mt. Yakumo towering behind the shrine and the mikoshi moving forward against the backdrop of the rural landscape of the Izumo Plain gives a sense of the local characteristics of Izumo.
The main hall of Izumo Taisha Shrine is in Japan's oldest shrine architectural style, called ``Taisha-zukuri,'' and has been designated as a national treasure. The current main shrine, which is approximately 24 meters high, is quite gigantic, but it is said that in ancient times it was an even taller building, and the remains of a huge pillar excavated from the precincts in 2000 corroborated this legend.
Points of appreciation
These are the points to keep in mind when visiting the Izumo Taisha Grand Festival.
- Differences in worship etiquette:The common etiquette for worshiping at Japanese shrines is ``two bows, two claps, one bow'', but at Izumo Taisha it is ``two bows, four claps, one bow''. Clapping hands four times is a unique etiquette of Izumo Taisha Shrine, and the sound of worshipers clapping four times in unison echoes throughout the grounds during the grand festival.
- Oshimenawa:The large shimenawa rope hung in the Kagura hall of Izumo Taisha Shrine is approximately 13 meters long and weighs approximately 5.2 tons. It is one of the largest shimenawa ropes in Japan and is one of the symbolic objects of Izumo Taisha.
- Shinmon Street:Izumo soba shops and souvenir shops line Shinmon Dori, which runs south from the main gate of Izumo Taisha Shrine. Izumo Soba is characterized by its ``wariko soba'' served in three-tiered round lacquerware, and is a street where many people stop by during the grand festival.
- access:Izumo Taisha Shrine is approximately 25 minutes by direct bus from Izumo Enmusubi Airport, and approximately 25 minutes by Ichibata Bus from JR Izumo City Station. The shortest route from Tokyo or Osaka is to fly to Izumo Enmusubi Airport. During the festival period, there will be a large number of worshipers, so the surrounding parking lots will be crowded.
🐉 Spring festival in the land of “Kamiaritsuki”
Izumo Taisha Shrine attracts the most attention during the Kamarisai Festival held in October of the lunar calendar every year. It is an event where eight million gods from all over the country gather in Izumo, and while in other regions outside of Izumo the gods are absent, October in the lunar calendar is called ``Kannazuki,'' but in Izumo it is called ``Kamiarizuki.'' During the festival, worshipers flock from all over the country, and the inns in the area fill up several months in advance.
The grand festival in May will not be as crowded as the Kamisari Festival. Izumo's climate is mild during the season of fresh green leaves, making it the perfect time to visit Izumo Taisha Shrine in peace. About an hour's drive from Izumo Taisha Shrine, there is also the World Heritage Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and the Himisaki Lighthouse overlooking the Sea of Japan, making it a great base for traveling around the San'in region.