- Izumo Province
Izumo (Japanese: 出雲国; "Izumo-no-kuni") was an old province of
Japan which today consists of the eastern part ofShimane prefecture in theChūgoku region .It was one of the regions of ancient Japan where major political powers arose. A powerful clan of Izumo ("Idumo" is an obsolete romanization) constituted an independent polity, but during the fourth century BC it was absorbed due to the expansion of the state of Yamato, within which it assumed the role of a sacerdotal domain. Even today, the
Izumo Shrine constitutes (as does theGrand Shrine of Ise ) one of the more important sacred places ofShinto : it is dedicated to "kami ", especially toŌkuninushi ("Ō-kuni-nushi-no-mikoto"), mythical progeny of Susa-no-Ō and all the clans of Izumo. The mythological mother of Japan, the goddessIzanami , is said to be buried on Mt. Hiba, at the border of the old provinces of Izumo and Hoki, near modern-dayYasugi ofShimane Prefecture .By the
Sengoku period, Izumo had lost much of its importance. It was dominated before theBattle of Sekigahara by theMori clan , and after Sekigahara, it was an independent fief with a castle town at modern Matsue.In Japanese mythology, the entrance to
Yomi (Hell, land of the dead) was located within the province, and was sealed by the godIzanagi by placing a large boulder over the entrance.
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