Izumo Taisha
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Izumo Taisha (出雲大社? , also called as Izumo Ōyashiro) is one of the most ancient and important of the Shinto shrines in Japan. Its name means "The Grand Shrine of Izumo." No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Taisha, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god Ōkuninushi-no-mikoto, famous as the shinto deity of marriage.
A style of architecture, Taisha-zukuri, takes its name from the main hall of Izumo Taisha. That hall, and the attached buildings, are National Treasures of Japan. According to tradition, the hall was previously much taller than it presently is. The recent discovery of the remains of enormous pillars has lent credence to this.
Several other buildings in the shrine compound are on the list of Important Cultural Assets of Japan.
[edit] Origin
According to the two oldest chronicles of Japan, the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, when Ninigi-no-Mikoto, grandson of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, descended from the heavens, the god Ōkuninushi granted his country to Ninigi-no-Mikoto. Amaterasu was much pleased by this action and she presented Izumo Taisha to Ōkuninushi.
 The outer shrine |
 The inner sanctuary behind the outer shrine |
 Replica of pillars of the ancient shrine |
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