Izumo Taisha in Shimane Prefecture is known as "the shrine of en-musubi," of tying bonds. But this en, this bond, is not only about romance.
The power of "musubi"
The principal deity of Izumo Taisha is Okuninushi no Okami. According to Izumo Taisha, the bonds Okuninushi ties are not only those between men and women, but bonds of every kind of connection surrounding a person.
In mythology, it is told that Amaterasu Omikami asked Okuninushi to govern the unseen world and to guide people's happiness through the power of musubi. Musubi is the work of bringing things into being and connecting them.
Kamiarizuki and the great shimenawa
The tenth month of the old lunar calendar is called Kannazuki, "the month without gods," throughout Japan. It comes from the legend that the gods of the whole country gather in Izumo, leaving their own places empty. In Izumo, by contrast, it is called Kamiarizuki, "the month with gods," because that is where the gods gather.
At the front of the Kaguraden hall hangs one of the largest shimenawa (sacred straw ropes) in Japan. Made in 1981, it is 13.6 meters long and weighs 5.2 tons. Seen up close, its thickness is overwhelming.
Connection is the foundation of happiness
Research on mental health has repeatedly pointed out that connection with others and relationships in which we feel safe are a major foundation of a sense of happiness. That Izumo Taisha has enshrined a god who "ties every kind of bond" overlaps with that sense.
When I paint a commission, I sometimes include in the colors and forms the relationships between the person who asked me and the people around them. Bonds with family, bonds with people met through work. In the sense of holding unseen connections in a single painting, it is a little like writing a wish on an ema plaque.
Mermaid nao's commissioned art is also work that gives form to, and preserves, the bonds you cherish.
Sources
Izumo Taisha official (FAQ: "What does en-musubi at Izumo Taisha mean?")
Izumo tourism guide (official site of the Izumo Tourism Association)
NIHONMONO (Izumo Taisha, the shrine that ties bonds of happiness)
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