On the sacred sandy beach of “Inasa-no-hama”, a large rock rises along the shore. At the top of the rock is a torii gate and a shrine. The rock’s isolated position on the sandy beach makes it look as if someone had gently placed it there. The deity enshrined here is “Toyotamahikonomikoto”, the god of the sea.
A small rock that looks like a staircase heads out at the foot of the island in front of “Benten Island”. Standing on the small rock, one can look up directly at the shrine. It is such a coincidence that one has to think it is too good to be natural. On the spring and autumnal equinoxes, when the sun sets directly to the west, the sun sets over the small rock and “Benten Island”. The vernal and autumnal equinoxes are called higan, or “equinoxes,” and are important days throughout Japan when people make offerings to their ancestors.
In Japan, large rocks such as “Benten Island”, where gods dwell, are called rock formations and have been revered as power spots since ancient times. Rock formations can be found all over Japan, but Izumo has a fairly large number of them. Among them, “Benten Island” is a large and mysterious rock formation that attracts many people from all over Japan to take a look at it.
The rock rockery of the “Rakutei” Izumo-style garden series is based on the image of the sacred power spot “Benten Island”. Although small in size, the texture of real natural stone creates a powerful and mysterious atmosphere. The presence of the rock on which the Japanese prayed as a stronghold of the gods can be realized on a tabletop.
