Munakata-taisha

Munakata-taisha in Munakata, Fukuoka, is the collective name for three shrines along a sacred line across the Genkai-nada: Hetsumiya on the mainland at Tashima, Nakatsumiya on Oshima island, and Okitsumiya on the remote Okinoshima island 60 kilometers offshore. The complex was registered as the UNESCO World Heritage "Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region" in 2017. The three deities are the Munakata sisters: Ichikishima-hime at Hetsumiya, Tagitsu-hime at Nakatsumiya, and Tagori-hime at Okitsumiya. Kojiki (712 CE) records the three goddesses as born from Susanoo's sword in the Ukei narrative with Amaterasu, and Nihon Shoki (720 CE) identifies them as "the deities worshipped by the Munakata family." Engishiki Jinmyocho (927 CE) lists "Munakata Jinja, three seats, Myojin-Taisha" of Munakata District. Sacred ritual on Okinoshima ran continuously from the late 4th to the late 9th century, and approximately 80,000 ritual artifacts excavated from the island are designated National Treasures. The October 1-3 Miare-sai with sea processions is the principal rite.