Izumo Daijingū

Izumo Daijingu.

In the mountains north of Kyoto, in a quiet valley, sits a shrine called the Original Izumo.

The famous Izumo Taisha is on the western coast of Japan, far away. But local tradition holds that this small mountain shrine was the older one — that the worship and the rituals began here first, and only later traveled west to become the great shrine on the sea.

There is no way to prove or disprove this, more than a thousand years later. But the place itself feels older than written records. Behind the small main hall rises Mount Mikage, considered the actual deity of this shrine. With permission from the priests, you can enter the mountain itself. Most people do not. Most people simply stand at the foot, and look up.

The mountain is small. The shrine is small. The valley is small.

Yet something here insists, gently, on its priority. The locals know. They come on quiet days, alone, without telling anyone they are going.

This is one of Japan's most ancient places to come for matters of relationship — meetings, partnerships, marriages. Before the famous Izumo Taisha became known across the country, this is where, in the old story, the threads of human connection were first woven.

Stand at the foot of Mount Mikage.

Sometimes the small place is the original place. Sometimes the famous version is the copy.