A Cultural Heritage
for Future Generations

The Sacred Island of

Okinoshima
and Associated Sites
in the Munakata Region

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Okinoshima
Okitsu-miya of Munakata Taisha

Okitsu-miya Yohaisho

Nakatsu-miyaof Munakata Taisha

Shimbaru-Nuyama
Mounded Tomb Group

Hetsu-miyaof Munakata Taisha

When overseas exchange flourished in ancient East Asia, thelocal population in this maritime region nurtured a cultural
tradition of worshipping the sacred island of Okinoshima.
Ritual archaeological sites on the island, together with anenormous quantity of votive offerings, have survived almost
intact for over a millennium. A site that reveals five hundredyears of ancient rituals in transition chronicles the formation ofindigenous Japanese beliefs.

The Sacred Island of Okinoshima andAssociated Sites in the Munakata Region
First Edition, March 2015
© World Heritage Promotion Committee of Okinoshima andAssociated Sites in the Munakata Region
7-7, Higashikoen, Hakata, Fukuoka, 812-8577, Japan
Tel: +81-92-643-3162 E-mail: sekaiisan@pref.fukuoka.lg.jp
Co-editor: Kyushu-no-Mura Design: Shuhei Nagata
Print: Diamond Shukosha Printing Corporation

As religious faith in the three goddesses emerged, an ancientfaith was passed down through traditional taboos that protect
the island.
The Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the
Munakata Region are an unparalleled piece of surviving evidence
concerning the formation and transmission of this tradition.

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Evidence for Ritual Development
and Overseas Exchange

Ancient Rituals
on Okinoshima

Okinoshima is a solitary island measuring 4 kilometers in circumference
and 243 meters at its highest point. Twenty-two ritual sites are located on
the island, mainly near huge boulders at altitudes of 80 to 90 meters.

The sacred island of Okinoshima, situated between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean peninsula, has long attracted the devotion of thelocal population in the Munakata region, who possessed advanced nauticalskills. Large-scale rituals utilizing an enormous quantity of precious votive
offerings were conducted on the island to pray for safe ocean voyages fromthe 4th to the 9th centuries, a period of more than 500 years during which
overseas exchange occurred frequently in East Asia.
Ritual sites bearing witness to the successive phases of ancient rituals
that chronicle the formation of indigenous beliefs in Japan have survived
to the present almost intact, because the island of Okinoshima, as an
object of worship, has been protected by established taboos strictly
limiting access to the island.

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Ancient Rituals on Okinoshima

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Ancient Rituals on Okinoshima

Ancient Overseas
Exchange in East Asia

Okinoshima Island

1

Okitsu-miya of Munakata Taisha

Korea

2 Okitsu-miya Yohaisho
3 Nakatsu-miya of Munakata Taisha

Busan

4 Hetsu-miya of Munakata Taisha
5 Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group

Tsushima Islands

500

Five Yamato sovereigns send envoys toChina’s Southern Court.

An advanced culture and its technologies, including Buddhism and thecalendar system, are introduced toJapan from the Korean peninsula,primarily from Baekje.

m

Iki Island

Shimonoseki
4

5

Japan

Fukuoka

700
Yamato sends envoys to the Sui and Tang courts
in China.
Tang and Silla troops defeat Yamato in the Battleof Baekgang (Hakusukinoe) after the fall of Baekje.
Silla unifies the Korean peninsula.

800
First centralized government is established inJapan, introducing institutions and knowledge
from the continent.
Shrine buildings proliferate throughout Japan.

Asuka Period
Boulder-shadow rituals

2
3

600

Kofun Period
Boulder-top rituals

Oshima Island
km

Yamato loses the battle against Goguryeo (Gwanggaeto Stele).

1

Okinoshima has been worshipped as a sacred island from thattime onward, and its ritual sites have survived almost intact tothe present day. Archaeological investigations have revealed thechanges in rituals connected to nature worship over a period ofsome 500 years. Rituals on the island were first conducted atop
gigantic boulders, then in the shadows of these boulders, andfinally in flat open-air parts of the island; in the process, faith
in the Three Goddesses of Munakata began to take shape. As
ritual styles evolved over time, ritual offerings including precious
objects from abroad also changed. Approximately 80,000 votive
offerings have been collectively designated as national treasuresof Japan, further illuminating how these rituals underwent changes,
and the nature of overseas exchange at that time.

49

Growing ties between the Yamato
court (Japan) and Baekje (Korea).

km

Korea Strait

400

300

60km

5
14

Japanese
Archipelago

Against a backdrop of increasing interaction in the late 4th
century between the Yamato court in the Japanese archipelago
and Baekje on the Korean peninsula, large-scale rituals to pray
for safe ocean voyages and fruitful overseas exchanges were
performed near huge boulders on Okinoshima, a solitary island
located in the strait between the two countries. These rituals
were practiced continuously until the end of the 9th century,
during a period when overseas exchange was flourishing in
East Asia.
In this maritime region, the people of Munakata with theiradvanced nautical skills played an important role in suchexchanges. Ritual sites had soon spread from Okinoshima to
two other locations where the Three Goddesses of Munakata
were also worshipped. New cultural traditions and refined
objects brought from the continent contributed to ancientJapan’s advancement in the political, social and religious realms;
and the state paid special attention to the three goddesses as theguardian deities of the ocean exchange routes.

East Asia / Japan

Korean Peninsula

ChineseContinent

77k

Prayers for Safe Voyages

900

Japan gradually stops sending official
envoys to Tang and Silla, while private
exchanges continue.

Nara Period

Partially open-air rituals

Heian Period
Open-air rituals

Ritual sites dedicated to the Three Goddesses of Munakata spread tothe three islands of Okinoshima, Oshima, and Kyushu. ⇒Page 12

Hetsu-miya of Munakata Taisha
Large-scale rituals are performed on Okinoshima. ⇒Page 8

Nakatsu-miya of Munakata Taisha

Okinoshima Island

Okitsu-miya of Munakata Taisha

Munakata Taisha transmits the religious tradition of the threeritual sites enshrining the Three Goddesses of Munakata. ⇒Page 16

Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group
Okinoshima ritual practitioners build
mounded tombs in the coastal area. ⇒Page 18

The worship of Okinoshima survives today,
together with local taboos and customs. ⇒Page 20

Okitsu-miya Yohaisho

Present

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Ancient Rituals on Okinoshima

Site 17. Twenty-one mirrors as votive offerings were discovered among theboulders, including the bronze TLV mirror pictured at right.

Many fine offerings from Silla, including a gold ring and gilt-bronze harness, were foundat Site 7 to the right of the boulder and at Site 8 to its left.

Rituals performed
atop boulders

Site 21. Pebbles that had shifted over a long period of time
are rearranged to represent what research has shown to havebeen the original composition of the altar. Gods are said tohave descended to the large center rock during the rituals.

Rituals performed in shadow
Rituals were first performed atop these boulders in the late 4th century, when overseas exchanges were occurring frequently. Offerings
were arranged neatly in small spaces between them and covered
with stones. These artifacts are similar to many burial objects foundin mounded tombs dating to that period, including bronze mirrors,
iron swords and other weapons, and comma-shaped beads. The
combination of mirrors, swords, and beads (also called “jewels”),
which constitute the imperial regalia of Japanese mythology, characterize ritual offerings spanning several centuries.
By the middle of the 5th century an altar had appeared set atop
a boulder, with a large stone in the center, surrounded by pebbles
arranged in a square configuration. Offerings of flat iron ingots that
the Yamato court procured from the Korean peninsula also reflect
something about the nature of overseas exchange at that time.
From the second half of the 5th century onward, rituals were
performed in the shadows of boulders. Offerings from this period
include iron weapons, miniature knives and axes, and highly
ornamented gilt-bronze harnesses. These objects were crafted using
advanced technologies from the Korean peninsula at that time.
In particular, a gold ring that bears a striking resemblance to thosefound in the royal Silla tombs is an important piece of evidence forthe active exchanges that were taking place at this time. Shards of
Persian glass have also been discovered on the island, presumably
brought to Japan by way of the distant Silk Road. Those who
engaged in dangerous ocean voyages laid out these treasures on the
ground beside boulders as offerings to the gods.

1.
2.

3.

Intact ritual sites discovered
over the course of a millennium

4.

1. Gold ring 2. Gilt-bronze buckles
3. Gilt-bronze leaf-shaped pendant
4. Gilt-bronze heart-shaped pendant
2-4 Harness. All items pictured here werelikely brought from Silla.

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Ancient Rituals on Okinoshima

Site 22. Altar composed of a rock arrangement, with pottery
placed beside the boulder, outside of its shadow.

Ritual transformations due toupheaval in East Asia

In the early 7th century, as the period characterized by rituals
performed in the shadows of boulders came to an end, offerings
shifted from items resembling burial objects found in mounded
tombs to gilt-bronze miniature spinning and weaving tools,
human figurines, and other objects. In the late 7th century,
rituals were performed only partly in the shadows of boulders,
but mostly out in the open. Artifacts crafted especially for theserituals include gilt-bronze miniature spinning and weaving tools
and pentachords, pottery, and other items.
During this period the Sui unified the long-divided Chinesecontinent; the Tang then replaced the Sui and grew increasingly
powerful. The Yamato court sent envoys to cultivate relations
with the Sui and Tang rulers. After the Tang toppled Baekje,
which had long been allied with Yamato, however, Yamato sentin troops and suffered a huge defeat by Tang-Silla allied forcesin 663. After the loss, Yamato accelerated its efforts to establish
a centralized government modeled on the Tang.
Rituals in Okinoshima appear to have changed with the times.
The ritual style that emerged in this period became the basis ofindigenous Japanese ritual practices that still survive today. These
gilt-bronze artifacts resemble the divine treasures still in use
today at Ise Shrine. Written records of ancient rituals in Japan
appear only from the 8th century onward, so the ritual sites on
Okinoshima are an essential source of information about theformative stages of indigenous faith in Japan.
Very rare artifacts brought from China have also been foundat ritual sites partly shaded by boulders. Japanese envoys toChina likely brought back these artifacts and made offerings ofthem on Okinoshima.

2.

1.

1. Gilt-bronze dragon head. 2. Fragments of Tang-style
three-colored bottle-shaped vase with long neck.
3. Gilt-bronze miniature pentachord.
Objects 1 and 2 are presumably from China. Object 3 isthe same type as that found among the divine treasures
dedicated to Ise Shrine; pentachords are traditionallyused in rituals.

Rituals performed partly in shadow

Site 5. Arrangement of pottery as investigations
have confirmed that it was used in rituals.
Site 22. Gilt-bronze miniature spinningand weaving tools inside a rock enclosure,
representing a new ritual style.

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Ancient Rituals on Okinoshima

3.

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Ancient Rituals on Okinoshima

1.

Mt. Mitake ritual sites on Oshima. Boat-shaped steatite objects unearthed here
are similar to ritual offerings found on Okinoshima

2.

1. Okinoshima Ritual Site 1. A large quantity of pottery remains
scattered across a broad area measuring 194 square meters.
2. Nara-style three-colored small jar made in Japan, modeled onThree Maritime Ritual Sites
Dedicated to the Three Goddesses of Munakata

Tang-style coloring techniques.
3. Boat-shaped steatite objects.

Open-air rituals
Nature worship gave rise topersonified deities
In the 8th century rituals began to be performed in flat, open
areas, some distance away from the group of boulders where
they had been performed unil that time. The remains of a stonealtar with a large rock at its center were discovered, with anabundance of votive offerings deposited in the surrounding area.
Rituals were performed continuously on this site for about 200
years, until the end of the 9th century. Offerings consisted mainly of a wide variety of pottery and steatite objects in the shapesof people, horses, and ships. While these offerings share somecommon features with those associated with the new ritual stylethat prevailed at that time in Japan, some ritual objects—such as
those made of pottery perforated with holes—are characterizedby shapes and materials unique to the Munakata region. Ritualswith a local flavor were performed within the new framework of
the state.
By the second half of the 7th century, rituals similar to those
performed on Okinoshima were carried out at the Mt. Mitake
ritual site on the island of Oshima and the Shimotakamiya
ritual site on the main island of Kyushu, both in the Munakata

3.

region. The oldest Japanese historical documents, the Kojiki
and Nihonshoki, both of which were composed in the early 8th
century, mention that the people in Munakata worshipped theThree Goddesses of Munakata at Okitsu-miya, Nakatsu-miya,and Hetsu-miya. Okinoshima corresponds to Okitsu-miya, Mt.
Mitake on Oshima to Nakatsu-miya, and Shimotakamiya on
Kyushu to Hetsu-miya, respectively, and the evidence showsthat the inhabitants of Munakata indeed carried out these rituals
dedicated to the three goddesses.
Worship of the personified Three Goddesses of Munakata
emerged from the practice of nature worship on Okinoshima,
and these two strands have coexisted ever since as the foundationof local religious traditions. This property is unique in the worldin the sense that the material evidence found there illuminates
the process by which worship practices changed over time.

The open-air ritual site at Takamiya that was
restored in the 20th century. Beneath it lies
the ancient Shimotakamiya ritual site.

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Inhabitants of Munakata prospered as a large inlet of the sea formed there inancient times.The three open-air ritual sites forming a nearly straight line emerged
as the three shrines of Munakata Taisha. By the 18th century Okitsu-miya Yohaisho
had been established on the island of Oshima as a site from which to worship
Okinoshima, which the local population was not allowed to visit.

Okinoshima Island

Okitsu-miya of Munakata Taisha

Tagorihime-no-Kami

Okitsu-miya Yohaisho

Nakatsu-miya of Munakata Taisha
Tagitsuhime-no-Kami

A Living Traditionof the Munakata Region

A Legacy of Faith in theThree Goddesses of Munakata
Shimbaru-Nuyama
Mounded Tomb Group

Hetsu-miya of Munakata Taisha
Ichikishimahime-no-Kami

In the second half of the 7th century, rituals similar to those conducted on Okinoshima began to be performed also at Nakatsu-miya on the island of Oshima and
Hetsu-miya on the main island of Kyushu. At that time Munakata Taisha wasestablished as these three sites, linked by a vast stretch of sea, for the worship of theThree Goddesses of Munakata. The cultural tradition of worshipping the island of
Okinoshima has been passed down to the present time in the form of devotion to
the three goddesses.
The Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group offers evidence connected to thelives of the people in the Munakata region who played a key role in overseas
exchanges by performing these rituals. The tomb group was built from the 5th to 6th
centuries on a coastal plateau overlooking the sea near Okinoshima. Okitsu-miya
Yohaisho on the island of Oshima represents the tradition of worshipping Okinoshima from afar, as taboos strictly prohibit visiting the island.

Illustrated by Yoko Kitano

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A Legacy of Faith in the Three Goddesses of Munakata

1. Shrine buildings of Okitsu-miya, located amidst hugeboulders where ancient rituals were performed.
2. Shrine buildings of Nakatsu-miya, located at the footof Mt. Mitake, on a high plateau overlooking the sea.
3. Shrine buildings of Hetsu-miya, which have played acentral role in the rituals of Munakata Taisha.

1.

The Three Shrinesof Munakata Taisha

2.

3.

Living Places of Worship Linked toAncient Ritual Sites

Religious sites with shrine buildings

Drawing of Oshima included in the Chikuzen-no-kuni zoku fudoki furoku, dating to the 18th century (owned by the
Hiraoka Family). A mountain path connects the shrine buildings of Nakatsu-miya with the summit of Mt. Mitake. Also
depicted here are Okitsu-miya Yohaisho, located on the island’s northern shore, and Okinoshima.

Munakata Taisha is a shrine that consists of three distinct
worship sites—Okitsu-miya on Okinoshima, Nakatsu-miyaon Oshima, and Hetsu-miya on the main island of Kyushu,
all of which are located within a broad area that measures some
60 kilometers in breadth. These are the living places of worshipthat are linked to ancient ritual sites. The original form of
worshipping the Three Goddesses of Munakata has been passed
down to the present day in rituals conducted mainly at theshrine buildings.
No shrine buildings originally existed on Okinoshima, but
those of Okitsu-miya had been constructed by the middle ofthe 17th century, amidst the huge boulders where ancient rituals
were performed. The entire island of Okinoshima constitutes thesacred precinct of Okitsu-miya; with no permanent inhabitants

until the 17th century, the island itself has long been the object ofworship. Today a Munakata Taisha priest stays on the island in
full-time ten-day shifts, offering a religious service each day at
the shrine.
By the 16th century, the Nakatsu-miya shrine buildings on theisland of Oshima had been constructed at the foot of Mt. Mitake,upon the peak of which ancient rituals were performed. A pathlinks the shrine buildings with the mountain’s summit, together
forming the sacred precinct of Nakatsu-miya.
The Hetsu-miya shrine buildings had been constructed by the
12th century at the latest, at the foot of the hill where the Shimotakamiya ritual site is located. Hetsu-miya is situated on the mainisland of Kyushu, near the Tsuri River, which was an inlet of thesea in ancient times. Hetsu-miya has become the central venue
for Munakata Taisha’s rituals, which are deeply connected to thesea, the river, and the Three Goddesses of Munakata.

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A Legacy of Faith in the Three Goddesses of Munakata

A maritime precinct
The people of Munakata, with their advanced nautical skills,
performed the ancient rituals on Okinoshima while taking partin overseas exchanges. In performing state-sponsored rituals,
they began to worship the Three Goddesses of Munakata at thethree shrines of Munakata Taisha.
The Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group, which wasconstructed with an ocean orientation from the 5th to the 6th
centuries, offers tangible evidence for the existence of Munakata’s
inhabitants at that time, who developed the living cultural tradition of worshipping the sacred island. The Munakata region
forms an integrated sea space that links Kyushu, where a large
sea inlet once existed, with Okinoshima and Oshima, which
is situated between them. The Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded
Tomb Group is located beside the farmland that was once a

sea inlet, on a plateau overlooking the sea that stretches out
toward Okinoshima. It consists of both large and small burial
mounds, including keyhole-shaped, round, and square mounded tombs built close together along the plateau. These tombs
bear witness to the lives of Munakata’s maritime inhabitants,
who played a key role in overseas exchanges and nurtured a
tradition of worshipping Okinoshima.
Their descendants have passed down the worship of theThree Goddesses of Munakata to the present day. Fishermen
have particularly devout faith in Okinoshima and take pridein their role as guardians of the island. They pray for abundantcatches and safe fishing voyages. The three goddesses cometogether at Hetsu-miya by means of a large fleet of fishingvessels on the occasion of the annual Miare Festival. This
festival represents a revival of a medieval ritual, and it is now
the most symbolic religious event associated with the Three
Goddesses of Munakata.

The Miare Festival procession at sea. Hundreds of fishing boats from seven bays
in Munakata escort Tagorihime-no-Kami and Tagitsuhime-no-Kami from Oshima
to the port of Konominato, where Ichikishimahime-no-Kami awaits.

Bearers of a Religious Tradition

The Seafaring People of Munakata

Miare Festival procession on land. The three goddesses come together at Hetsu-miya when
the traditional Grand Autumn Festival is staged as the main ritual of Munakata Taisha.
The Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group has been preserved in goodcondition to the present day, together with its surrounding terrain. Oshima
is visible across the sea, which stretches all the way to Okinoshima.

Photo by Yasunori Yoshimura

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A Legacy of Faith in the Three Goddesses of Munakata

A Legacy of Faith in the Three Goddesses of Munakata

Okitsu-miya Yohaisho is located 48 kilometers southeast of
Okinoshima. When the sky is clear, the silhouette of Okinoshima is visible on the horizon.

Taboos on Okinoshima
Vow of Silence
One must never speak a word about what one has seen or heard on Okinoshima.
People even refrain from uttering its name, and respectfully refer to it instead inother ways, such as by calling it the “island whose name cannot be spoken.”

Removal Prohibited
Removal of any object from Okinoshima is prohibited. According to legend, thebreaking of this rule during the Edo period (17th century) brought divine retribution. Thanks to this tradition, the ritual sites and treasures on the island havebeen preserved almost intact.

Purification
No one can disembark on Okinoshima without permission from Munakata
Taisha. Even the priest who offers a religious service there every day must purify
his mind and body by immersing himself in the sea before he lands on the island.

Distant Worship and Taboos

Protective Religious Traditions
The ritual sites and natural environment of Okinoshima havebeen preserved almost intact to the present day because of
their geographical location, which defies easy access, and local
religious traditions such as strict taboos that protect the sacredisland. The ancient faith in Okinoshima survives to this day.
Okitsu-miya Yohaisho, which had been built on the northernshore of Oshima by the 18th century, is the place from which toworship Okinoshima, which people are not normally allowed tovisit. It functions as a hall for worshipping the sacred islandfrom afar.
The Munakata Daiguji (high priest) family, which prospered
through its engagement with international trade, continued the
tradition of worship at Munakata Taisha when ancient rituals

were no longer performed there. Even since the family’s lineage
was interrupted at the end of the 16th century, priests and local
people have supported the tradition to this day. The peopleof Munakata have long fished the waters near Okinoshima,
and guards were stationed on the island from the 17th century
onward to protect its ocean boundaries; yet customs such as
taboos strictly forbidding ordinary people from delivering or
removing any object to or from the sacred island have continued to be respected. Taboos prohibiting women from travelingto the island and prohibiting the eating of four-legged animals
on the island still survive today. The Okitsu-miya Grand Festival, held on May 27th each year, is the only opportunity forordinary people to visit the island, and that number is limited
to some 200 people. Even on this occasion, people are required
to strictly follow traditional rules.

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The Value of the Sacred Island of Okinoshima
and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region

Okinoshima
Okitsu-miya of Munakata Taisha

Shimbaru-Nuyama
Mounded Tomb Group

Evidence related to the people of
Munakata who performed religious
rituals on Okinoshima in their role as
key supervisors of overseas exchanges.

Okitsu-miya Yohaisho

Criterion (iii)
Rituals were performed on the sacredisland during the period of frequent overseas exchanges that lasted from the 4th
to the 9th centuries, and these sites havebeen preserved to this day by means oflocal taboos.

Tangible evidence for the living
tradition of worshipping Okinoshimafrom afar.

This property serves as a rare piece of evidence chronicling an
ongoing process: the formation of the cultural tradition of worshipping this sacred island, within the context of how ancient
ritual changed and developed. Archaeological sites that survive
almost intact on Okinoshima offer a chronological accountof ritual development there. Rituals dedicated to the Three
Goddesses of Munakata were performed at the three shrines of
Munakata Taisha, located on the islands of Okinoshima, Oshi-

Criterion (ii)
Hetsu-miyaof Munakata Taisha

Nakatsu-miyaof Munakata Taisha

Place of worship on the main island of
Kyushu, linked to ancient ritual sites
dating from the 7th to the 9th centuries
that developed from Okinoshima rituals
and still survive to this day.

Place of worship on the island of Oshima,
linked to ancient ritual sites datingfrom the 7th to the 9th centuries thatdeveloped from Okinoshima rituals andstill survive to this day.

Nominated as a World Cultural Heritage Site

The Sacred Islandof Okinoshima
and Associated Sites
in the Munakata Region

A World Heritage Site is a place listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), thatis considered to be of outstanding universal value to humanity,
based on the World Heritage Convention. The World Heritage
List consists of cultural, natural, and mixed properties. The World
Heritage Committee decides whether a property meets the criteria
necessary for it to be inscribed on the list.
The Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the
Munakata Region have been on Japan’s Tentative List of World
Heritage Sites since 2009, and are being considered according to
the following three criteria:

To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.

To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world,
on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design.

The change and development of rituals from the 4th to the 9th
centuries to which the archaeological evidence of this property
bears witness represent the overseas exchange of human values
in ancient East Asia. The inhabitants of the Munakata region
who worshipped Okinoshima for maritime safety played a sig-

Criterion (vi)ma, and Kyushu. The Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb
Group survives as tangible evidence concerning the inhabitantsof Munakata who created this cultural tradition. Okinoshimaitself is the object of worship. The taboos and customs related
to worshipping the sacred island from afar have been passed
down to the present day at Okitsu-miya Yohaisho on the islandof Oshima and other sites.

nificant role in overseas exchange, which contributed to ancientJapan’s advancement in the political, social and religious realms.
Okinoshima’s ritual artifacts include many rare objects fromabroad that serve as valuable pieces of evidence for overseas
exchange at the time.

To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas,
or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.

The worship of Okinoshima, which originates in the ancientconnection between the local population and nature, has been
passed down continuously to this day as the worship of theThree Goddesses of Munakata, a tangible expression of Japanese indigenous beliefs. This faith still survives among the local
population in Munakata, together with taboos prohibiting

visits to the sacred island, as a living tradition that is integral tothe people’s daily lives. The Three Goddesses of Munakata areworshipped at some 6,000 Shinto shrines throughout Japan.
The ritual archaeological sites on Okinoshima, where this system of belief originated, bear witness to the formation of thisset of indigenous beliefs and its survival to the present day.