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Sengu and Renewal Air Rail A c c e s s FREE Access by Air Osaka-Izumo 50min JAC Tokyo-Izumo 1hr20min JAL Access by Fukuoka-Izumo 1hr10min JAC Highway Bus Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Fukuoka Okayama, Fukuoka Ichibata Travel Service, Highway Bus Reservation Center Tokyo 0852-20-5252 Osaka Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Kobe JR Highway Bus Reservation Center Izumo En-musubi Airport 0853-21-0591 Access by 3hr20min Rail Tokyo St. Yakumo Shinkansen Limited Express Nozomi 44min Sengu and Renewal Matsue St. Okayama St. Shin-Osaka St. Currently, Izumo Taisha is undergoing its sengu, a period of repair work the finished work will be a lasting example of their skill. Also, just as 2hr20min 1hr41min Hakata St. on the shrine that is, as a general rule, conducted every sixty years. This work has continued on this same shrine building since it was first built Super Oki Shinkansen Matsukaze Nozomi sengu began in the spring of 2008, and is scheduled to finish in 2013. almost 270 years ago, the current workers view this sengu as their Limited Express 34min 3hr51min During this time, the deities enshrined in Izumo Taisha are moved to a chance to pass on an important part of traditional Japanese culture to the 1hr23min Tokyo St. Shinkansen temporary shrine while repairs are conducted. As the main hall is a next generation. Bus Nozomi 1hr19min Hamada St. Hiroshima St. Shin-Osaka St. national treasure, as much of the original building is preserved as However, the need for repairs and renovation is not the only reason this 1hr53min 1hr4min possible while damaged parts are replaced. In this case, it means that the sengu is held. It is also seen as a symbol of rebirth. By making the Hakata St. roof of the main hall of the shrine, which is covered with hundreds of shrine building new again, the energy of the god enshrined within is Super Oki Shinkansen , Limited Express Nozomi thousands of thin pieces of Japanese cypress bark, has being completely renewed. Following 2011 s devastating earthquake and tsunami, the Shin-Yamaguchi St. Hakata St. , 2hr6min 35min replaced, as exposure to the elements over the past 60 years has done current sengu can even be seen as symbolic of Japan s recovery efforts. heavy damage. Other necessary repairs are underway as well, but they Interestingly enough, the pine wood used to replace the chigi , are almost complete, and once they are, the deities will be moved back (crossbeams) on the front part of the main hall s roof comes from pine into the main hall in a special ceremony held in the spring of 2013. trees in Iwate Prefecture, one of the areas hardest hit. While shrine or temple roofs covered with cypress bark are no rarity, 大国主 , Who is Okuninushi-no-kami ? certain characteristics of Izumo Taisha s roof make it particularly unique. Another example of this idea of renewal and rejuvenation can be found , Of all the deities featured in Japanese mythology, Okuninushi-no-kami is the one with the strongest First, with a thickness of 90 cm (almost 3 feet) and a total area of 590 at Sada Shrine, in the Kashima area of Matsue City. Sada Shrine s connection to Shimane and the Izumo region. After facing many trials, he became the ruler of the land square meters (6350 square feet), the sheer number of pieces of bark Gozagae Sai is a yearly festival held in late September. During it, the needed to reroof the shrine is huge: 640,000 pieces. Then there is the goza (rush mats) used in all the shrine buildings on the grounds are known as Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, a name in mythology that refers to Japan. While settling here in , length of the pieces. Izumo Taisha s roof has a curve to it that can only replaced, bringing a yearly sense of renewal to the shrine. As part of this Izumo, he worked to make all of the land livable and to make life easier for the people that lived there. be made using long pieces of bark (90 to 120 cm, or 3 to 4 feet). No festival, and the Reisai fall festival which is held the day after the Due to his efforts, he is known as the god of nation-building, land development, agriculture and medicine. , other shrine or temple s roof uses Gozagae Sai, a traditional art with nearly 400 years of history is After making Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni a better place to live, he turned over control of it to Amaterasu bark that long, so the carpenters performed: Sada Shin Noh. Sada Shin Noh is a collection of ritual and her descendents (as explained in the Kuni Yuzuri myth). In return for this act, a grand shrine that who worked on the roof had no dances, including some based on Japanese myths with a close familiarity with how to lay down connection to the Izumo region, like the Kuni Yuzuri myth or the reached to the heavens was built for him, and this shrine became Izumo Taisha. He also became the deity the strips of bark correctly. They Yamata-no-Orochi myth. The dances are performed at night, lit by the in control of the unseen world, and as part of this, became the deity of en-musubi, making the connections had to test out methods in a flames of bonfires set on the shrine grounds, creating a uniquely that bind people together. It is from this that we here at the En-musubi Tourism Association take our name, special practice area before mysterious atmosphere. While the entirety of Sada Shin Noh is only and it is our hope that you will come to Izumo and see the land that Okuninushi-no-kami loved so greatly. moving to work on the actual performed at Sada Shrine at these festivals, certain parts are performed roof. These factors drove the for the public every year, usually once a month between May and workers to do their November. , best, because Sada Shin Noh s uniqueness has led to a growing popularity, and it was The En-musubi Tourism Association would like to thank Dustin Kidd (Teacher, Kaisei Junior High School and High School), Daisetsu selected as a World Heritage Intangible Cultural Property by UNESCO Fujioka (Chairman, Research Center for Izumo Studies), and Tsuyoshi Nishikida (Director, Association of Shinto Shrines, Shimane in 2011. Prefecture Office) for their cooperation in the production of this pamphlet. Japan, with its history spanning over 2000 years, has a rich and well- closely with different facets of Japanese culture well known defined culture that can be enjoyed wherever you happen to travel. throughout the world. Much of that culture finds its roots in Japanese mythology, from the That is part of what makes Izumo such an interesting place; you can En-musubi Tourism Association stories transcribed in the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan) and the see that connection in places and stories throughout the region, and http://www.en-musubi.net e-mail: [email protected] Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) to local myths and legends. often, those facets of Japanese culture find their origin here. Also, Shimane Prefectural Government Tourism Promotion Division Shimane Prefecture, located to the north of Hiroshima Prefecture, is the world of legends and the world of modern life co-exist here so http://www.kankou-shimane.com/en/ e-mail: [email protected] home to many places that feature prominently in those legends, closely that it is unsurprising to find places that are the stage for especially in the eastern part of the prefecture, in the region known as legends just off to the side of the beaten path. Matsue International Tourist Information Office Izumo. Not only that, but many of these legends connect very "Visit Japan" Information Desk (English Assistance Available) TEL. +81 852 21 4034 Izumo Taisha Kami Ari Zuki (The Month of the Gods) One of the most intriguing events held at Izumo Taisha is the series of Kuni Yuzuri myth. In return for turning control of Ashihara-no- On the western edge of the Shimane Peninsula, in the city of ceremonies held during Kami Ari Zuki. According to the lunar calendar, nakatsukuni (the earth) over to the gods in the heavens, Okuninushi-no- Izumo, you can find Izumo Taisha, which is also known by its the tenth month of every year was referred to as Kannazuki, or The kami was given control of all things unseen. In essence, he was given official name of Izumo Oyashiro. The main deity enshrined Month of No Gods. This name comes from the idea that during that time, control over the realm of the spiritual, and this includes en. So during there is Okuninushi-no-kami, the deity of nation-building and the yaoyorozu-no-kami (the myriad gods throughout the country) leave Kami Ari Zuki, Okuninushi-no-kami holds conference with the other en-musubi, creating the ties that bind us all together. As one of their respective shrines and gather at Izumo Taisha. Because of this, in gods to make decisions about what ties to make for the upcoming year. the most famous and most important shrines in the country, the Izumo area of Shimane, that month is known by the name Kami Ari People from around Japan, as well as international visitors, travel to Izumo Taisha is visited by many people, both Japanese and Zuki, The Month of the Gods. Even though the lunar calendar has passed Izumo Taisha every year during Kami Ari Zuki, as it is a unique international, every year. out of usage, the names remain, and are still used to this day.
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