Susa Shrine

Susanoo Shrine, located in Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture, is an ancient shrine with a long history. It enshrines the spirit of Susanoo-no-Mikoto and has long been revered as the main sanctuary (hongū) dedicated to this deity. The shrine is listed in the Engishiki Jinmyōchō (Register of Deities in the Engishiki) as a minor shrine of the Shikinai classification, and in the modern era it was ranked as a National Shrine of the Third Rank (Kokuhei Shōsha). It is also the 18th site of the “Izumo Province Kami-Butsu Sacred Pilgrimage.”

According to the Izumo Fudoki (Records of the Land of Izumo), after Susanoo-no-Mikoto had completed his acts of cultivation in various regions, he came to this place and carried out his final undertaking. He declared, “This land is a fine country; rather than naming it after rocks and trees, I shall name it after myself as Susa.” He then enshrined his own spirit here, making Susanoo Shrine the fundamental sacred ground for his worship. Tradition holds that the shrine family, the Susa clan, are descendants of Kaya-narumi-no-Mikoto, the son of Ōkuninushi.

In ancient times, the shrine precincts were located on Mount Miyao to the north of the present site, but were later moved to the center of the basin where they remain today, having been firmly established there by the medieval period. Over the centuries, the shrine was known by various names such as “Jūsansho Daimyōjin” and “Ōmiya Daimyōjin,” and in the Edo period as “Susa Ōmiya.” After the Meiji Restoration, in 1871, it was officially renamed “Susanoo Shrine” and successively elevated in rank to a Village Shrine, then a Prefectural Shrine, before being designated a Kokuhei Shōsha in 1900.

The principal deity enshrined is Susanoo-no-Mikoto, together with his wife Inadahime-no-Mikoto, and his parents-in-law Ashinazuchi-no-Mikoto and Tenazuchi-no-Mikoto, the latter of whom are also regarded as ancestral deities of the Susa clan.