Munakata Taisha

 

I passed through the grounds of Munakata Taisha on my way to the final temple on the Kyushu Pilgrimage.

I entered through the rear entrance and passed by the Second Shrine and Third Shrine housed in structures that were relocated here from the rebuilding of Ise Shrine in 1973.

Munakata Taisha is actually three different shrines, the biggest here on the mainland is Hetsu-gu, with the Nakatsu-gu just offshore on Oshima, and the third, Okitsu-gu located 50k away on the small island of Okinoshima.

These second and third shrines were established to make it easy for people to visit all three without having to make a ferry crossing, and also because the Okitsu-guis is an uninhabited island where women are not allowed.

The three kami are sisters, Ichikishimahime, the youngest, here, Tagitsuhime on Oshima, and Tagorihime, the oldest, on Okinoshima.

Ichikishimahime is the primary kami of the famous Itsukushima Shrine and its branches.

The three sisters were created by the siblings Susano and Amaterasu. The male children created were attributed to Amaterasu and include the mythical lineage of the imperial family. The three females were given to Susano, though some with a nationalistic bent claim them also for Amaterasu, forgetting that to do so would put the imperial lineage under Susano....

The three shrines and islands were very important in trade and travel between Japan and Asia, and the three sisters are usually considered protectors of maritime journeys.

The rituals that were conducted on Okinoshima between the 4th and 9th centuries have left a wealth of archeological treasures, sone of which can be seen in the museum here.

It has also led to Okinoshima being registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The ancient Munakata Clan were obviously powerful players in the introduction of technology and culture from the Korean Peninsula and mainland China.

On this visit I was in a hurry so didn't visit the main shrine compound, rather enjoyed the cherry blossoms around the pond at the entrance.

The previous post was on Munakata Kannonji Temple.

Shrine of Sogi Falls

Sogi Taki no Jinja is on the south side of the Sogi Waterfall and is now housed in a recent rebuild. The construction if the new bridge over the falls entailed lots of road construction so I guess that was why it was rebuilt.

It is said that the guardian of the falls is enshrined here, and it is listed as Takitsuhime, a variant on Tagitsuhime, who was one of the 3 Munakata Princesses, offspring of Susano and Amaterasu that are normally known for guarding sea journeys.

I spent the night here, sleeping under the overhanging eaves as after dark a heavy mist descended for the night, and though it didn't actually rain, water dripped off the roof all night. early next morning when I set of on the 38th day of my walk the mist was still thick.

Junisho Shrine

Junisho Jinja

Junisho Shrine is another small village shrine on the banks of the Nakaumi just about 1k north of Oi Shrine. Junisho means "twelve places" and refers to the 12 different kami enshrined here.

The first two are Izanagi and Izanami, the brother-sister, husband-wife, pair who really are the most important of the Japanese kami. It was they who created the Japanese islands and populated them with a whole pantheon of kami.

Among the kami created by Izanagi and Izanami perhaps the most important are the siblings Amaterasu and Susano, both also enshrined here. Amaterasu is often called the most important Japanese kami, but that is really just a hangover from State Shinto, her importance being that the imperial family claim descent from her. In real terms Susano is more important. He "descended" to Japan long before the descendants of Amaterasu, and there are far more shrines in Japan to Susano and his lineage than there are for Amaterasu and her lineage.

Between them, by "trial of pledge", Amaterasu and Susano created the  Gonansan Joshin, 5 male and 3 female kami, 6 of whom are enshrined here. The three females, often called the Munakata Kami, were kami strongly connected with travel between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. They are Tagitsuhime, Takiribime, and Ichikishimahime. The three male are Kumanokusubi, Ikutsuhikone, and Amenohohi. Its not clear why 2 of the eight are not enshrined here, nor why the only kami enshrined here, Konohanasakuyahime, that is not part of the obvious grouping of twelve.

There is also an altar/shrine to Kojin.

Tarumi Shrine

Tarumi Shrine is a fairly standard village shrine located in Kawashima, the fishing village at the base of the mountains below Gakuen-Ji.

I once spent a night onboard a small yacht in Hawashima harbor during a typhoon.... but thats another story.

Izumo-style komainu are recognizable by their stance,... with their butts in the air.

The main kami of the shrine is Tagitsuhime, one of the 3 Munakata Sisters. Daughters of Susano, they were protective deities of the sea journey between North Kyushu and the Korean Peninsular, and so have associations with protection at sea.

I have visited the head shrine of Tagitsuhime, on the small island of Oshima just off the coast at Munakata.

her name seems to be derived from "rough water"

There is a secondary shrine to Inari, and a small Aragami shrine.

Itsukushima Shrine, Setogashima, Hamada

Setogashima is a tiny island in the harbor of Hamada. The Itsukushima shrine is the only shrine on the island. The three sisters enshrined here (daughters of Susano) are known to be protectors of fishermen, so Itsukushima shrines are common in fishing villages.

The 3 home shrines of the Munakata sisters are located in north west Kyushu, one on the mainland, and the other 2 on 2 small islands. The Munakata clan were responsible for protecting the sea lanes between Kyushu and the Korean peninsular.

The shrine has no secondary shrines within its precincts, and no kagura den, so for matsuri they use the nearby Shimoyama Inari Shrine. The channel seperating Setogashima from the mainland is only a stones throw wide, so a small bridge connects it, but still a huge multi-million dollar bridge was constructed.

It's actually a very quiet, picturesque fishing village of a few dozen houses, and as one of the main harvests in this area is squid, it's not surprising to see squid drying in the sun.