shimane — part V: throwing stones

09Oct12

Not too far down the road from Izumo-taisha the last sandy vestiges of the land sprinkle out into the Sea of Japan.  The beach here is called Inasa-no-hama and it is the site where Okuninushi (大国主), the Great Land Master, ceded control of Japan to Amaterasu and her heirs.  According to the Kojiki, the Record […]

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Tags: Amaterasu, Chihiki-no-iha, Diaoyu, Dokdo, en-musubi, Fountain of Jizo, Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan, Haruki Murakami, history of territorial disputes, island disputes, Izumo, Japanese myths, Lafcadio Hearn, legend, Liancourt Rocks, Liancourt Rocks dispute, monuments, myth, national rivalry, national sovereignty, ocean cave, Okuninushi, rocks, Senkaku Islands, Shimane Prefecture, Shinto, shrine, Takeshima, territorial disputes, the cheap alcohol of nationalism, the gods, Tiaoyutai, treaties, 大国主, 天照大神, 島根県