Iya Shrine

Iya Shrine (揖夜神社) is a Shinto shrine in Higashi-Izumo-cho, Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, listed in the Engishiki and one of the six Ou shrines of former Izumo Province. The principal kami is Izanami-no-Mikoto, with Onamuchi-no-Mikoto, Sukunabikona-no-Mikoto and Kotoshironushi-no-Mikoto enshrined as auxiliary deities. The shrine stands near the traditional site of Yomotsu Hirasaka, the boundary of the underworld where, according to the Kojiki (712 CE), Izanagi and Izanami parted. Recorded in the Izumo no Kuni Fudoki (733 CE) as Ifuya-no-Yashiro, the shrine preserves a Taisha-zukuri main hall designated a cultural property of Shimane and observes the ancient Hitotsubi rite each December.