Finding Love at Yaegaki Shrine
Yaegaki Shrine (八重垣神社, Yaegaki Jinja), once known as Sakusa Shrine, is a popular Shinto shrine located at Japan’s Shimane Prefecture’s capital, Matsue. The gods Susanoo, the younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and Princess Kushinadahime. The shrine is a popular destination for people seeking predictions on their love life.
Woodblock print circa 1847–52. Susanoo slaying the “Eight-Pronged-Serpent”.
The fight against the Yamata-no-orochi
The legend tells us that once upon a time, Susanoo encountered a couple who had already lost seven of their eight daughters to the Yamata-no-orochi or the “Eight-Pronged-Serpent”. The monster was about to come for the last daughter named Princess Kushinadahime when Susanoo arrived. He battled with the serpent and was victorious against the creature winning the hand in marriage of Princess Kushinadahime. Yaegaki Shrine is said to have been erected on the very spot where Susanoo had built his home with the princess.
Exploring the grounds
Yaegaki Shrine is dedicated to matchmaking and marriage. Visitors to the shrine often come to offer prayers to Kushinadahime and Susanoo at the main hall. They wish for a marriage partner, marital bliss, pregnancy and healthy childbearing. There are several large wooden phalluses found within the Yaegaki Shrine grounds in tribute to which the temple is famous for.
Amulets and paper used for fortune-telling that can be used at the shrine’s Mirror Pond can be purchased at the site. The Mirror Pond was said to have been used by Princess Kushinadahime herself as a mirror. The pond is also said to be able to predict when a person’s soulmate will arrive.
The Yaegaki Shrine grounds also has other treasures worth seeing such as the mural of Susanoo and Kushinadahime that was painted in the eighth century. It was a monument to the first waka poem ever written in Japan dedicated to the event of the slaying of the Yamata-no-orochi.
