Yaegaki Shrine — 八重垣神社

At Yaegaki Shrine in Matsue, young women float paper fortunes on the surface of a forest pond. They place a coin on the paper and watch: if it sinks quickly, marriage is near; if it drifts far before sinking, the wait will be long. This is the Mirror Pond divination, conducted at the site where Japan’s first married couple is said to have consummated their union inside a fence of eight rising clouds. The shrine sits in a cedar grove on the northern edge of Matsue, surrounded by camellia trees said to be descended from seedlings planted by the goddess Kushinadahime herself over two millennia ago.

Yaegaki Shrine is believed to have been established in the mythological age, making it one of Japan’s oldest continuously venerated sites. The shrine marks the location where Susanoo no Mikoto built a palace for his bride Kushinadahime after slaying the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi. The name “Yaegaki” means “eight-layered fence” and refers to the protective barrier of clouds Susanoo summoned around the palace. Written records place the shrine’s formal establishment in the early centuries CE, though local worship at the site predates historical documentation. The current main hall was rebuilt in 1813 following the Taisha-zukuri architectural style, and houses murals depicting Susanoo and Kushinadahime that are designated Important Cultural Properties.

Susanoo no Mikoto and Kushinadahime no Mikoto are enshrined as the primary deities, revered as Japan’s original married couple and thus as the patron kami of love and marriage. Susanoo, the storm god and younger brother of Amaterasu, was banished from heaven for his wild behavior but redeemed himself by rescuing Kushinadahime from the serpent. Their union represents the transformation of chaos into order through love. Also enshrined are Ōnamuchi no Mikoto (their son, also known as Ōkuninushi) and Aoinushiinochi no Mikoto (Kushinadahime’s parent), making this shrine a center for prayers concerning family relationships and matrimonial harmony.

According to the Kojiki, when Susanoo descended to Izumo after his exile from heaven, he encountered an elderly couple weeping because seven of their eight daughters had been devoured by Yamata no Orochi, and the serpent would soon return for Kushinadahime. Susanoo agreed to slay the beast in exchange for her hand in marriage. He transformed Kushinadahime into a comb which he placed in his hair, then prepared eight vats of sake. When the eight-headed serpent arrived and drank from the vats, Susanoo attacked, severing each head. From the serpent’s tail he extracted the legendary sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi. After the battle, Susanoo restored Kushinadahime to her true form and composed Japan’s first waka poem: “Yakumo tatsu / Izumo yaegaki / tsuma gomi ni / yaegaki tsukuru / sono yaegaki wo” (Eight rising clouds / build an eightfold fence / in Izumo / for my bride to dwell / that eightfold fence). The couple’s wedding chamber became the sacred center of Yaegaki Shrine.

The shrine’s main hall preserves murals painted directly on wooden boards that date to the Muromachi period (1336-1573). These paintings depict Susanoo and Kushinadahime in rich mineral pigments and are among the oldest shrine paintings in Japan. Behind the main complex, a forested path leads to the Mirror Pond (Kagami no Ike), where Kushinadahime is said to have gazed at her reflection while awaiting Susanoo’s return from battle. Two ancient camellia trees stand near the pond, their trunks intertwined—one representing Susanoo, the other Kushinadahime. These meoto tsubaki (husband-and-wife camellias) are believed to be over 1,000 years old and bloom in unison each spring. The shrine grounds also contain the Oku-yashiro, an inner sanctuary built on the exact spot where the couple’s palace once stood.

• Reisai (Annual Grand Festival, September 29) — The shrine’s most important festival commemorates the wedding of Susanoo and Kushinadahime with ritual music, dance performances, and a procession of portable shrines through the surrounding neighborhoods.
• Mirror Pond Divination — Year-round, visitors purchase special fortune papers at the shrine office, walk to the Mirror Pond, place the paper on the water with a coin on top, and interpret their romantic future based on how quickly it sinks and how far it travels.
• Tsubaki Festival (March) — Celebrates the blooming of the sacred camellia trees with poetry readings and tea ceremonies beneath the ancient branches.

Early morning in late March offers the most evocative experience, when the thousand-year-old camellias bloom in deep red blossoms and morning mist rises from the Mirror Pond. The shrine is quietest on weekday mornings outside of wedding season (April-May and October-November see many couples conducting traditional Shinto wedding ceremonies here). Autumn brings colored leaves to the surrounding forest, creating a particularly photogenic approach to the pond. Avoid weekends during spring and autumn when the Mirror Pond area becomes crowded with visitors conducting divination rituals.