Yomotsuhirasaka, Mythical entrance to underworld in Matsue, Japan
Yomotsuhirasaka is a mythological site in Matsue, Japan, identified as the entrance to the realm of the dead and linked to the story of Japan's creation. The location consists of a sloping path leading down to a stone monument and a large rock where, according to tradition, the boundary between the living world and the land of darkness was sealed.
The site is mentioned twice in the Kojiki, an 8th-century text, as the place where Izanagi encountered his deceased wife and fled from the underworld. This reference linked the slope permanently to the creation of the Japanese archipelago and the separation between life and death.
According to Japanese mythology, Izanagi used three peaches to force spirits back into the underworld during his escape, establishing peaches as protection symbols.
The site lies about 30 minutes by train from Matsue and can be reached on foot in a few minutes from a small parking area. Signs along the path indicate the connection to the ancient text and point toward the symbolic rock marking the end of the trail.
A stone monument from 1940 marks the exact spot where, according to legend, the boundary to the underworld runs. This modern marker stands only a few meters from a road and a parking lot, bringing myth and everyday life into direct contact.
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