IOverview
Izumo Ōyashirokyō 出雲大社教 is a Shinto body devoted to Ōkuninushi 大国主, the chief kami of Izumo Taisha in Shimane Prefecture. It was founded, and has always been led, by the Senge family, the hereditary priestly line of Izumo Taisha.
Its position is unusual. It belongs to the Association of Sect Shinto and is that federation's largest member. Yet it is also bound to an ancient shrine and shares its centre with Izumo Taisha. According to Japanese Wikipedia, the shrine Izumo Taisha belongs to the Association of Shinto Shrines while the church Izumo Ōyashirokyō does not. That is why it is often described as standing between Shrine Shinto and Sect Shinto.
IIHistorical Development
The chief priest of Izumo Taisha holds the hereditary title Izumo Kokuzō 出雲国造, which split between the Senge and Kitajima houses in the medieval period. In 1873 Senge Takatomi 千家尊福, born in 1845, founded the Izumo Taisha Keishinkō, a society for preaching about Ōkuninushi to the public.
In the early 1880s came the pantheon dispute, known in Japanese history as the saijin ronsō 祭神論争. The Izumo side proposed that Ōkuninushi be added to the kami chosen as the common objects of worship of the national preaching system. The Ise side objected, and the dispute ended when the court sided with Ise. In 1882 the order separating shrine priests from preaching was issued, and Senge Takatomi turned his society into an independent sect. He later entered government service and for a time served as Minister of Justice.
- 1873Izumo Taisha KeishinkōSenge Takatomi founds a preaching society, forerunner of the church.
- 1880 to 1881Pantheon disputeThe Izumo side loses when the court backs Ise.
- 1882Independent sectIzumo Taishakyō becomes one of the thirteen recognised sects.
- 1906Hawaii branchRev. Miyao Katsuyoshi opens a temporary place of worship in Honolulu.
- 1951Postwar reorganisationThe church is renamed Izumo Ōyashirokyō and reunited administratively with Izumo Taisha.
IIIBeliefs and Distinctive Features
The church teaches that the visible and invisible worlds, life and death, are two sides of one coin, a principle called yūken ichinyo 幽顕一如. In the myths Ōkuninushi yields the land to the descendants of Amaterasu and takes charge of the unseen realm. The church therefore sees him as the kami of the afterlife and of en-musubi 縁結び, the ties between people, marriage and friendship among them.
Besides Ōkuninushi, the church honours the three creator kami, Amaterasu, Amenohohi, ancestor of the Senge line, and local kami. Senge Takatomi's teaching is set out in the books he wrote, and the church stresses living a bright and secure life by linking believers with the kami.
Misconception: Izumo Ōyashirokyō and Izumo Taisha are the same thing. In fact: they are separate legal bodies, though they share a centre and a leading family. It should also be distinguished from Izumo-kyō 出雲教, a separate church founded by the Kitajima house.
IVRitual and Everyday Life
Members honour Ōkuninushi at home and attend rites at the church's branch shrines and churches across Japan. The main annual observances are the New Year rites, a memorial for the founder in April and the principal festival in August. The tenth lunar month, which much of Japan calls the month without gods, is called the month with gods in Izumo, since by tradition the kami of the whole country gather there to settle human bonds. At Izumo Taisha the form of worship is two bows, four claps and one bow, rather than the usual two claps.
VOrganisation and Distribution
The headquarters is in Taisha, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture. The head, or kanchō, has always come from the Senge family. According to Japanese Wikipedia, the sixth kanchō was Senge Takahiko as of 2014. The 2020 Religious Yearbook, as cited on English Wikipedia, lists 1,266,058 adherents, 8,212 teachers and 161 places of worship. Kotobank cites 2005 figures of 227 churches, 8,297 teachers and 1,259,313 adherents.
Outside Japan the best documented branch is in Hawaii, opened in 1906 and by 1941 active on several islands.
VIIn Vietnam
The church has no presence in Vietnam. Vietnamese people mostly know Izumo through travel, visiting Izumo Taisha to pray for a good match, and through the Kojiki myth of Ōkuninushi and the White Hare of Inaba.
VIISymbol of the Branch
Crest of two tortoise shells with sword flower
二重亀甲に剣花菱
VIIIOther Branches of Shinto
Shrine Shinto神社神道 Jinja ShintōThe largest form, centred on the nationwide network of shrines.
Folk Shinto民俗神道 Minzoku ShintōCustomary Shinto practised by ordinary people without systematisation: household altars, kami of the kitchen and well, village customs, seasonal and life-cycle rites.
Sect Shinto教派神道 Kyōha Shintō (called 宗派神道 Shūha Shintō by the Association of Shinto Shrines)Organised groups with founders, doctrines and members, mostly formed in the 19th century.Uses the common symbol of the pathIzumo Ōyashirokyō出雲大社教 Izumo ŌyashirokyōFounded in 1882 by Senge Takatomi, 80th chief priest of Izumo Taisha.Konkōkyō金光教 KonkōkyōFounded in 1859 by Konkō Daijin, headquartered in Asakuchi, Okayama.Uses the common symbol of the pathKurozumikyō黒住教 KurozumikyōFounded by Kurozumi Munetada, dated to 1814, headquartered at Shintōzan in Okayama.Uses the common symbol of the path
Ōmoto大本 ŌmotoBegan with Deguchi Nao in 1892 in Ayabe, Kyoto.
Imperial Household Shinto皇室神道 Kōshitsu ShintōRites performed by the Emperor within the palace for the nation, the people and world peace, centred on Amaterasu.Historical Shinto schools両部神道, 吉田神道, 伊勢神道, 垂加神道, 復古神道Interpretive schools from the medieval to early modern period, including Ryōbu, Ise, Yoshida, Suika and Fukko Shinto.Uses the common symbol of the pathIXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
Whom does Izumo Ōyashirokyō worship?
Its main kami is Ōkuninushi, lord of Izumo Taisha, seen as the kami of the unseen world and of human bonds. It also honours the three creator kami, Amaterasu and the ancestor of the Senge family.
Why did the church separate from the shrine?
In 1882 the state barred priests of ranked shrines from preaching. To go on teaching about Ōkuninushi, Senge Takatomi formed an independent sect, soon after the Izumo side lost the pantheon dispute.
How many adherents does it have?
1,266,058 according to the 2020 Religious Yearbook as cited on English Wikipedia, the most of any member of the Association of Sect Shinto. The figure is self-reported.