Taisha

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Taisha (sī´shä), town, Shimane prefecture, SW Honshu, Japan, on the Sea of Japan. It is a religious center, famous as the site of the ancient Izumo shrine. The shrine, said to be the oldest in Japan, is splendidly situated among majestic pines. Together with its many secondary buildings it was rebuilt in 1874. Traditionally all the Shinto gods convene there each October. The town also has a 6th-century Buddhist temple.