Izumo Taisha
Day 8 of my walk along the Japan Sea Coast would start up on Cape Hinomisaki, where I ended day 7, but to get there I had to change buses in Taisha, the area around Izumo Taisha, so I had a quick look around.
Adjacent to the main shrine compound is the Kaguraden. Ostensibly for the performance of kagura, in actuality its main use is for weddings, of which there are many. As with all sacred sites in shint, a sacred rope called a shimenawa is hung on the building. The difference here is that it is the biggest shimenawa in the world.
It is more than 13 metres long and weighs 5 tons. Like most shimenawa it is made of rice straw. It is replaced every 5 to 8 years and is made by villagers in the small town of Iinan. Shimenawa were originally made from hemp, a plant widely grown and used in Japan until outlawed during the American occupation.
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