Takehiratori no Mikoto (建比良鳥命), wife of Ōkuninushi
History
The shrine is located at the foot of Mt. Mikage in the eastern part of the Kameoka Basin, which has been worshipped as a sacred mountain since ancient times. The origins of Izumo daijingū are unknown. Geographically, the area is in between the two ancient powers of Izumo and Yamato, and the Chitose Kurumazuka Kofun to the southwest of the shrine is the largest keyhole-shape burial mound in the Tanba region. According to the Tanba-koku Fudoki, in 709 (during the reign of Empress Genmei), a bunrei of the kami Ōkuninushi was transferred from this shrine to "the land of Kitsuki". For this reason, this shrine is also referred to as the Moto-Izumo (元出雲) ("original Izumo"). The far more famous Izumo Taisha was called "Kizuki Shrine" until the Meiji period, so until the end of the Edo period, the "God of Izumo" referred to Izumo Daijingū. The shrine and its rituals are described in both the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. The shrine is mentioned in the "Nihon Kiryaku" and Engishiki records from the early Heian period, and was regarded as the ichinomiya of the province from this time.[2] In 1292, its ranking rose to the highest rank due to success of prayers for rain at this shrine. The "Izumo Shrine" mentioned by Yoshida Kenko in the Kamakura periodTsurezuregusa (Chapter 236) refers to this shrine. The shrine was extensively reconstructed by Ashikaga Takauji in 1345.[3] During the Meiji period era of State Shinto, the shrine was rated as a National shrine, 2nd rank (国幣中社, kokuhei-chūsha) under the Modern system of ranked Shinto Shrines.[4]
Wooden Statues of male kami, Heian period, set of two. These are seated statues carved from kaya wood, and date from the 9th or 10th century; one possibly depicts Ōkuninushi, the other is of an unknown kami.[6][7]
