Believe it or not, to most born-again Shinto followers, this is the entrance to the Land of Yomi, the mythological country of Ne-no-kuni, The Land where ancestors Sleep.
"Yomi is ruled over by Izanami no Mikoto, the Grand Deity of Yomi (Yomotsu-Ōkami 黄泉大神). According to Kojiki, the entrance to Yomi lies in Izumo province and was sealed off by Izanagi-no-Mikoto upon his flight from Yomi, at which time he permanently blocked the entrance by placing a massive boulder (Chibiki-no-Iwa 千引の岩) at the base of the slope that leads to Yomi (Yomotsu Hirasaka 黄泉平坂). Upon his return to Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, Izanagi noted that Yomi is a "polluted land" (kegareki kuni). This opinion reflects the traditional Shinto association between death and pollution." -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yomi
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