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.
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