Izumo clan — 出雲国造

The Izumo Kokusō are not merely a family — they are a continuous priesthood that has maintained unbroken ritual custody of Izumo-taisha for over eighty-four generations, a claim no other shrine lineage in Japan can match. While the imperial line traces descent from Amaterasu, the Izumo clan descends from Ame no Hohi no Mikoto, the deity sent by Heaven to negotiate the surrender of the earthly realm — and who chose instead to serve the conquered god. This choice, made in the Age of the Gods, became a hereditary obligation that continues today in the person of the current Kokusō, who alone may perform certain rites within the great shrine’s inner sanctum.

The Izumo Kokusō trace their lineage to Ame no Hohi no Mikoto, second son of Amaterasu, who was dispatched to the land of Izumo to secure its submission to the Heavenly Kami. Instead of completing his mission, he allied himself with Ōkuninushi, the Great Land Master, and his descendants became the hereditary priests of Izumo-taisha after Ōkuninushi’s ritual abdication. The first historical Kokusō appears in records from the early 6th century, though the family claims continuous succession from the mythological age. Unlike most shrine priesthoods, which became hereditary positions in the medieval period, the Izumo Kokusō maintained their role through Japan’s numerous political upheavals — the rise of Buddhism, the establishment of the imperial system, the Meiji Restoration, and the postwar disestablishment of State Shinto. The current head, Izumo Takamasa, is the 84th Kokusō, and his son is being prepared as the 85th.

Ame no Hohi no Mikoto (天之菩卑能命) is the ancestral deity of the Izumo Kokusō, second son of the sun goddess Amaterasu. He is worshipped not at Izumo-taisha itself, but at smaller shrines maintained by the clan, including Kamosu Jinja in Matsue. The Kokusō themselves do not enshrine kami in the conventional sense — they are the living intermediaries between Ōkuninushi no Mikoto, the deity of Izumo-taisha, and the human world. Their authority derives not from ownership but from ritual obligation: only the Kokusō may open the inner sanctuary, only they may perform the sacred fire rites, and only they may speak the ancient words that renew Ōkuninushi’s covenant with the visible world each year.

When Amaterasu sent her son Ame no Hohi to Izumo to demand the surrender of the earthly realm from Ōkuninushi, he arrived to find not a barbarian kingdom but a sophisticated civilization with its own theology. Ame no Hohi spent three years in Izumo and sent no report back to Heaven. When messengers were sent to retrieve him, they found he had taken a wife from the local nobility and built a shrine. He had not betrayed Heaven — he had recognized in Ōkuninushi a god of equal majesty to his mother, and negotiated a compromise: Ōkuninushi would cede political authority to the Heavenly Kami, but retain spiritual sovereignty over the unseen world. Ame no Hohi and his descendants would serve as eternal witnesses to this pact, ensuring neither side broke faith. This myth explains why the Izumo Kokusō occupy a unique position in Shinto: they serve a deity who once rivaled the imperial ancestor, and their loyalty is to the covenant itself, not to either party.

The Izumo Kokusō maintain their own residence and private shrine complex adjacent to Izumo-taisha, though separate from the main precinct. The Kokusō Mansion (国造館) contains ritual chambers that have never been photographed or described in public documents. Within the main shrine, certain areas are accessible only to the Kokusō and his designated assistants — most notably the inner sanctuary where the shintai (sacred object embodying Ōkuninushi) is kept. The Kokusō’s ritual implements, including ancient bronze mirrors and ceremonial vestments, are considered clan property rather than shrine property, passed from father to son outside the normal shrine inheritance system. When the current Kokusō dies, these objects will be transferred to his successor in a private ceremony that predates written Japanese history.

• Kamimukae-sai (Divine Welcoming Festival, October) — The Kokusō presides over the arrival of all Japan’s kami to Izumo for their annual assembly, performing rites that open the spiritual gates of the province.
• Karasade-sai (Divine Departure Festival, November) — The Kokusō conducts the closing ceremonies that send the assembled deities back to their home shrines across Japan.
• Kokusō Succession Ceremony (irregular) — When a new Kokusō inherits the position, he undergoes secret initiation rites within the inner sanctuary, receiving oral transmissions that have never been written down.
• Daily Morning Rites — The Kokusō or his designated proxy performs dawn purification ceremonies within the inner sanctuary every day of the year, a practice that has continued for over 1,400 documented years.

The Izumo Kokusō family and their private ritual spaces are not open to public visitation. Those interested in the clan’s role in Shinto history should visit Izumo-taisha during the Kamimukae-sai in late October, when the current Kokusō presides over public portions of the ritual. The historical significance of the lineage can be appreciated at the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo in Izumo City, which displays artifacts related to the Kokusō family and the ancient Izumo culture they have preserved. Serious researchers may request permission to consult the clan archives, though access is highly restricted.