"Kannazuki"

 

Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine in Shimane prefecture

Izumo Taisha Shrine was the highest building in Japan

The statue of Okuninushi no Kami

Hello. October has started!

In Japan, another name of the month is  "Kannazuki," the month of gods. It also means when all gods are absent from all over Japan except for Izumo state, a part of Shimane prefecture today. They say that all the gods gather at Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine to have a meeting. That's why October is called "Kamiari-zuki" meaning "gods present month" in Izumo state, while "Kaminashi-zuki" "gods absent month" in the other states of Japan.

Izumo Taisha enshrines Okuninushi no Okami, who appears in Japanese mythology and is said to be the god that created the country on earth.