The Izumo clan is a Japanese noble family descended from Ame no Hohi who used to rule

Izumo Province was an Old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province is in the Chūgoku region. History During the early Kofun period (3rd century) this reg ...

and run

Izumo Taisha , officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god , fam ...

today. The clan were originally

Kuni no miyatsuko , also read as ''kokuzō'' or ''kunitsuko'', were officials in ancient Japan during the Yamato period who governed provinces called ''kuni''. Yamato period ''Kuni no miyatsuko'' governed provinces called ''kuni'' (国), although the location, nam ...

but after the abolition of the role they took on a priestly role at

Izumo-taisha , officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god , fa ...

, they share this history with the

Aso clan The Aso clan (阿蘇) is a Japanese clan associated with Aso Shrine. They descend from Kamuyaimimi. The clan were originally Kuni no miyatsukoMatsunaga Naomichi: Kuni no miyatsuko', Encyclopedia of Shinto, retrieved 25 October 2023 but after th ...

of Aso Shrine, the

Owari clan The Owari clan is a Japanese clan. The clan were originally Kuni no miyatsuko but after the abolition of the role they took on a priestly role at Atsuta Shrine. They share this history with the Izumo clan of Izumo-taisha, the Aso clan of Aso Shr ...

of Atsuta Shrine, the of

Munakata Taisha is a collection of three Shinto Shinto shrine, shrines located in Munakata, Fukuoka, Munakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the head of the approximately 6,000 Munakata shrines all over the country. Although the name Munakata Taisha refers to ...

, and the Yamato clan of

Ōyamato Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Tenri, Nara in Japan. In the time of Emperor Sujin there was a crisis. Amaterasu ( via the Yata-no-Kagami and the Kusanagi sword) and Yamato Okunitama, the tutelary deity of Yamato, were originally worshipped in ...

. From the beginning the role of Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko was seen as substantially more important than the other

. They held the position of

. They now run

Izumo-taishakyo is a Japanese Shinto grouping. It was established by Senge Takatomi (1845–1918), the 80th head priest of Izumo-taisha in 1882, as one of the original thirteen sects of ''Kyoha Shintō Rengokai'' (Association of Sectarian Shinto), during the ...

as the Senge family. The head of the family was still called the Kokuzo or Kuni no MIyatsuko in the medieval period, long after the Kuni no Miyatsuko of other provinces ceased to be relevant. Their position as a religious authority is sometimes seen as in contrast to the Yamato as an "other Japan". Their religious authority was somewhat unusual among Kuni no Miyatsuko due to being in a religiously significant location. They were likely a rival clan to the

Imperial House of Japan The is the reigning dynasty of Japan, consisting of those members of the extended family of the reigning emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present constitution of Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State ...

early on, with the relationship of their subordination being mythologized as a mutual compromise in the Kojiki and Izumo no Fudoki. They are descendants of , the second son of , the sun goddess whose first son is the ancestor of the imperial family, have been, in the name of or governor of Izumo, taking over rituals because when Izumo-taisha was founded Amenohohi-no-mikoto rendered service to Okuninushi-no-kami. Ame no Hohi was sent to run

for Susanoo when the transfer of land occurred as part of the agreement. The family's conflict around 1340 made them separated into two lineages, and . This occurred because of a dispute related to the eldest son being too sickly to perform the physically demanding Fire drill succession ritual to become Kokuzo. The older line became and the younger became . After the separation those two families took the position of Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko by turns until the late 19th century. Shinto was reconstructed as modernized Japan's national religion in the late 19th century. In 1871, Izumo-taisha was designated as an Imperial-associated shrine and the government sent a new administrator so Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko families were no more the administrators of Izumo-taisha. Senge and Kitajima established their religious corporations respectively, by Senge and by Kitajima. Takatomi Senge was the 80th high priest of

and founded

after the shrine was seized by the

Government of Meiji Japan The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empir ...

. Under the Allied occupation after World War II, Shinto was separated from the government control and Izumo-taisha was reformed into a private shrine, then Senge and its Izumo-taisha-kyo took back the position of the administrator of Izumo-taisha. , the 83rd-generation Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko of Senge lineage, was chosen to be the chief priest of Izumo-taisha in 1947. He died in February 2002 at the age of 89. Currently, the position of the administrator of Izumo-taisha is succeeded by Senge lineage. Its Izumo-taisha-kyo is better known nationwide and has more followers in total, " (1998/8)", but locally Kitajima lineage and its Izumo-kyo has more followers around Izumo region. Kitajima is the more orthodox Izumo no Kuni no Miyatsuko. " (1898)". On October 5, 2014, Kunimaro Senge, eldest son of the current administrator Takamasa Senge, married Princess Noriko at the shrine. Noriko is a daughter of the late Prince Takamado, a cousin of the now- Emperor Emeritus of Japan."Japantimes - Princess Noriko to wed

Tokyo, 27 May 2014. Retrieved on 4 October 2014

See also

References

Further reading