¡°Shinkoku is the sacred name of Japan ¡ª Shinkoku, ¡®The Country of the Gods¡¯; and of all Shinkoku the most holy ground is the land of Izumo,¡± wrote Lafcadio Hearn more than 100 years ago in his book ¡°Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan.¡± For Hearn, it had been an ambition to visit Shimane Prefecture¡¯s Izumo, ¡°the land of gods¡± as he described it, ever since he learned about it from the ¡°Kojiki¡± (¡°Record of Ancient Matters¡°), the oldest extant manuscript in Japan. Since his visit, the writer¡¯s depiction has enchanted many others and persuaded them to visit the site.
Izumo is a place of major significance in the legends of the ¡°Kojiki.¡± The city is well known for its Izumo Taisha, one of Japan¡¯s most revered and oldest Shinto shrines, which is dedicated to Okuninushi no Mikoto, a deity closely associated with marriage. This year marks the 1,300th anniversary of the compilation of the ¡°Kojiki,¡± while next year, a ¡°grand installation¡± ceremony of Izumo Taisha will take place for the first time in 60 years. The grand installation marks the return of Okuninushi no Mikoto¡¯s spirit, which had been temporarily moved to another location during the shrine¡¯s renovations.
To commemorate these two events, The Kyoto National Museum presents ¡°The Grand Izumo Exhibition,¡± featuring archaeological finds from important historical sites in the area, as well as other exhibits. The show highlights documents and artifacts related to the ¡°Kojiki,¡± whose myths and legends have made it an indispensable reference in understanding the origins of Japanese culture.
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