Izumo stone (Shimane Prefecture) [Famous Japanese stones]

Izumo Stone

Izumo stone

A stone from Izumo Province, the land of Okuninushi-no-Mikoto, an essential figure in the creation of Japan and Japanese mythology.
In Japan, Okuninushi no Mikoto is identified with Daikoku-sama.
Izumo Taisha Shrine, which appears in the Kojiki, was said to be so tall that it reached the heavens, and modern surveys have shown it to be as high as 48 meters.
One of the mysteries of ancient Japanese history is that Izumo is said to have had an independent government.
This stone is from Kimachi, Shinji Town, Shimane Prefecture, and is a tuffaceous sandstone formed 14 million years ago.
During the Edo period, the Matsue domain prohibited the stone from being taken outside the domain, and Izumo stone is a historic stone that was used in the construction of Matsue Castle.
It is a mysterious stone that is pale grey in colour but turns yellow over time.
It often contains fossils.

This stone is produced in the land of Izumo, which is the land of Okuninushino Mikoto and thought to be related to the creations of Japan, and it is regarded an important place in Japanese Mythology.
It is said that Izumo Taisha Shrine, which was mentioned in the Kojiki, was so high enough to reach heaven, according to a modern survey it was 48 m high.
This is s stone produced in Kimachi on Shimane Prefecture and it`s made from condensed sandstone formed loved 14 million years ago This stone has been historically especially during the Kofun period and the middle ages. In the Edo periods, the Matsue clan forbade the stone to being carried outside the prefecture. This is a historical famous stone because it was used for the construction of Matsue Castle. This curious stone is usually pale gray, but yellow turn as time goes on. In the early days of the ancient time when this area was still the sea, sea creature sometimes were lock up on Izumo stone, and still now fossils can be found in the stone. A fossil of the left lower jawbone of Paleoparadoxia was discovered in an Izumo stone in 1980 and it becomes a hot topic.