Soga-no-Yashiro Shrine

This small auxiliary shrine sits directly behind the main sanctuary at the foot of Mt. Yakumoyama, enshrining Susanoo no Mikoto in the same taisha-zukuri style as the larger hall beside it. According to myth, Susanoo was banished from the heavens before descending to Izumo, slaying an eight-headed serpent, and eventually becoming an ancestor of the great deity Okuninushi. The piles of sand on either side come from Inasa Beach, where all the gods of Japan gather each autumn. Visitors collect sand from the beach, deposit it here, and take some dry sand home, believing it brings protection and good fortune.