Izumo Mythology and Local Beer — A Quiet Table with Daikoku Ale/ Food Culture

I found a local craft beer at a supermarket in San’in.

It was called “Izumo Daikoku Beer.”

Named after Ōkuninushi,
the deity of Izumo Taisha,
known as a god of connections and relationships.

If you would like to learn more about Ōkuninushi and the myths of Izumo, you may also enjoy:

I picked it up simply because I liked the design.

Named after Ōkuninushi,
the deity of Izumo Taisha,
known as a god of connections and relationships.

I picked it up simply because I liked the design.

That evening,
I prepared a simple meal at home.

Cheese and black pepper popcorn,
and marinated yellowtail I had found at another store.

The fish, caught in the Sea of Japan,
was lightly seasoned with soy sauce and miso.

A quiet, ordinary table—
but somehow connected to the land I had visited.

A Memory of Myth

When I held the beer,
I remembered a story from childhood.

The myth of Yamata no Orochi.

Susanoo prepared strong sake
and filled eight barrels with it.

The great serpent drank,
fell into a deep sleep,
and was defeated.

In this land,
sake and fermentation seem to have always been part of life—
and of myth.

Water flowing from the mountains,
rice grown in the plains,

and unseen forces working quietly together.

Even without knowing about microbes or ecosystems,
people understood these processes through experience.

Perhaps that is why
fermented drinks appear in mythology
as something powerful.

The story of Ōkuninushi continues across the landscapes of Izumo, from Hakuto Shrine in Tottori to Miho Shrine overlooking Miho Bay.

In Izumo,
there is a shrine dedicated to the god of sake brewing.

Saka Shrine

Every year,
a traditional ritual called “Doburoku Festival” is held there.

Even today,
a small amount of sake is brewed for the ceremony.

It is said that during “Kamiarizuki,”
when gods from all over Japan gather in Izumo,
they share sake and spend the nights together.

When visiting Izumo,
it may be worth taking the time
to enjoy local beer like this
at a traditional inn.