Izumo Taisha

Izumo-taisha honours Ōkuninushi, the deity who built the land and ties bonds, which makes it the shrine of marriage. Worshippers clap four times, two for themselves and two for the partner to come, where national custom prescribes two. The straw rope hung over the worship hall, the shimenawa, weighs five tonnes and is among the largest in the country. Excavations have uncovered pillars three metres across, lending weight to the tradition of an original building forty-eight metres tall.