Miyajidake Shrine

Miyajidake Shrine in Fukutsu, Fukuoka, stands on the mid-slope of Mount Miyajidake (178 m) on the Genkai-nada coast. Its straight approach extends westward to the sea, and twice a year, in late February and late October, the setting sun aligns precisely along the approach toward Aino Island, an event known as the "Path of Light." The main deity is Empress Jingu (Okinaga Tarashi-hime no Mikoto), with the local earth deities Katsumura no Okami and Katsuyori no Okami enshrined alongside as the "three deities of Miyajidake." Nihon Shoki (720 CE) records that Empress Jingu prayed at this region before her Silla campaign. The Kashii-gu in Fukuoka and the Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka are linked with the same Empress Jingu narrative. The grounds preserve a late 6th- to early 7th-century horizontal-stone-chamber tumulus, second in scale nationwide, whose grave goods are designated National Treasures. Shrine tradition places the founding in the era of Empress Jingu. The September 21-23 grand festival is the largest annual rite.