ABOUT IZUMO

What's Izumo like?

Shimane Prefecture is located in the Chugoku Region, north of Hiroshima and bordering the Sea of Japan (It is a 3-hour drive from Hiroshima City). Izumo is surrounded by other historical cities. Matsue City, famous for Matsue Castle, lies to the east. The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine (a World Heritage Area) lies to the west, and Unnan City, known for Tatara Iron making, lies to the south.

What does “Izumo” mean?

The kanji in our city’s name, “Izumo,” mean “clouds appearing”. There are many stories about the origin of the name, but many believe that it is named after the wonderful views of the clouds that can be seen thanks to the area’s geographic location. One can see beautiful clouds on the vast skyline, along with breathtaking sunsets seen from the beaches. There is a saying that the deities from around the country ride on clouds when they come to Izumo.

Our city name “Izumo” it means clouds appear in Kanji. There are many stories about the origin of our name of city, but because our geography, in general, its named after beautiful view where clouds are

What kind of history is there?

Japanese legends are recorded in “Kojiki – Ancient Japanese History,” which was completed in the year 712 and is referred to as the country’s oldest historical record. Approximately one third of it is about Izumo. This city is well known as “The Legendary Country Izumo”. From the year 5 B.C. until 3 A.D. (Yayoi Period) there was a bronze making civilization in the area, and bronze swords and bells were excavated in large amounts at the Kojindani Archeological Site and the Kamo Iwakura Archeological Site. There are large burial mounds which prove that there were powerful leaders, and that people have lived in Izumo since the ancient times. In addition, enormous cedar log pillars (made of three tree trunks tied together) were excavated in Izumo Oyashiro Grand Shrine.