is a

Shinto shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more '' kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, mean ...

Izumo, Shimane is a city in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Izumo is known for noodles and the Izumo-taisha Shinto shrine. History Izumo Taisha is the oldest Shinto shrine in Japan. In 2008, the holy area was open to the public from 1 August until August 17, ...

, Japan. It is the 18th Shinto shrine in the Enza-no-kai Organization list of shrines and

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

considered important to the historical region of Izumo, which includes other major shrines in Shimane and Tottori Prefectures including

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 , f ...

, Kumano-taisha, and Ōgamiyama Jinja. The main deity is

Susanoo-no-Mikoto __FORCETOC__ Susanoo (; historical orthography: , ) is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory charac ...

, and his wife, Inada-hime, and Inada-hime's parents, and , are also enshrined. The shrine is listed in the ''Izumo'' ''Fudoki'' as one of five shrines in Iishi District that were registered with the

Department of Divinities The , also known as the Department of Shinto Affairs, Department of Rites, Department of Worship, as well as Council of Divinities, was a Japanese Imperial bureaucracy established in the 8th century, as part of the '' ritsuryō'' reforms. It was f ...

. This shrine is identified as the place in what was formerly the township of Susa where Susanoo chose to enshrine his spirit. The shrine was also known as Jūsansho Daimyōjin (十三所大明神) and Susa no Ōmiya (須佐大宮 'Great Shrine of Susa') during the medieval and early modern periods. The shrine's priestly lineage, the Susa (or Inada) clan (須佐氏 / 稲田氏), were considered to be the descendants of Susanoo via his son Yashimashino-no-Mikoto (八島篠命, the ''Kojiki'''s Yashimajinumi-no-Kami) or Ōkuninushi. Besides Susanoo, his consort Kushinadahime and her parents Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi are also enshrined here as auxiliary deities.

History

The shrine was founded in 776 The priests of the shrine are said to be descendants of

Ōkuninushi Ōkuninushi ( historical orthography: ''Ohokuninushi''), also known as Ō(a)namuchi (''Oho(a)namuchi'') or Ō(a)namochi (''Oho(a)namochi'') among other variants, is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology. He is one of the central deities in the cycle ...

. 『日本の神々神社と聖地 7 山陰』（新装復刊） 2000年白水社 ISBN 978-4-560-02507-9 It is mentioned in the

Engishiki The is a Japanese book about laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Engi-shiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178. History In 905, Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of th ...

Description

Susa-jinja is built in the

taisha-zukuri Kamosu Jinja's ''honden'' and a granary at Toro is an ancient Japanese architectural style and the oldest Shinto shrine architectural style. Named after Izumo Taisha's ''honden'' (sanctuary), like Ise Grand Shrine's ''shinmei-zukuri'' styl ...

style and, in addition to the ''

honden In Shinto shrine architecture, the , also called , or sometimes as in Ise Shrine's case, is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined '' kami'', usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a s ...

'', hosts a number of smaller shrines. Susa-jinja also claims to have "Seven Wonders" littered across its grounds including a 1300-year-old

sacred tree A sacred tree is a tree which is considered to be sacred, or worthy of spiritual respect or reverence. Such trees appear throughout world history in various cultures including the ancient Greek, Hindu mythology, Celtic and Germanic mythologies ...

, a cherry tree that casts no shadow, and a saltwater well.

Ancestry of priests

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Susa Shrine Shinto shrines in Shimane Prefecture Beppyo shrines Kokuhei Shōsha Shikinai Shosha Susanoo-no-Mikoto shrines Shimane Prefecture designated tangible cultural property Prefecturally designated intangible folk cultural property