Visiting this World Heritage Site

Miare Festival

Every year on October 1st fishermenbring portable shrines across thewater from Oshima to Hetsu-miya,which is located on the main islandof Kyushu, so that the three deities
can gather there.

Travel to the Munakata Region
Oshima Is.
Kitakyushu Airport
Nishitetsu Bus
35 min. (nonstop)
50 min. (via Nakatani)

Togo Sta.

Three Female Deities
View of Okinoshima from
Okitsu-miya Yohaisho
A site was created from which Okinoshima
could be viewed and worshipped from a
distance, since taboos have long prohibitedthe public from visiting the island.

The ancient Munakata clan performed rituals on Okinoshima,
and their faith in the kami that inhabited the island eventually
led to the worship of the Three Female Deities of Munakata that
continues today. Okinoshima forms one part of Munakata Taisha,
the shrine dedicated to the these three deities that also includes
sacred sites on the island of Oshima and the main island of Kyushu.
This set of beliefs has been passed down together with traditions
associated with Okinoshima, such as taboos concerning visitors
and the worship of the island from afar.

(Okinoshima, Koyajima, Mikadobashira, Tenguiwa)

Tagorihime-no-Kami

Okitsu-miya Yohaisho,
Munakata Taisha

Hetsu-miya, Munakata Taisha
Ichikishimahime-no-Kami

JR
25 min.

Fukuoka Airport

ShimbaruCity
NuyamaFukutsuMounded City
Togo
Tomb Group Fukuma

Hetsu-miya

Koga IC

Located approximately 60 kilometres off the western coast of
Kyushu, Okinoshima has been worshipped since ancient times as
an island inhabited by deities, or kami. Ancient ritual sites unlike
those found anywhere else have survived on the island to this day.
They reveal much about the rituals that were conducted there topray for safe ocean voyages during a period of active cultural
exchange among the polities of East Asia, from the latter half ofthe fourth century to the end of the ninth century.

Kitakyushu
AirportKitakyushu JCT
Yahata JCT

Wakamiya IC

KashiiBus

Shimbaru-Nuyama
Mounded Tomb Group

Hakata Sta.
Subway6 min.

KokuraOrio

HakataTenjinFukuoka IC

Kyushu Expressway
Shinkansen

Fukuoka Airport

JRNishitetsu Omuta Line

Dazaifu IC

Subway5 min.

TenjinNishitetsu Bus
60 min. (nonstop)

Okinoshima Finder ( iOS / Android App)

*Please note that landing on Okinoshima is prohibited.

Free Download

World Heritage

The Sacred Island of

Okinoshima

A World Heritage Site for Future Generations∙ Entry into ritual sites and tomb areas is prohibited.
∙ The sightseeing route passes through private residential areas. Please do not enter private lots or discard
litter on private property.

Korea

Busan

Okinoshima Is.
Tenguiwa
Mikadobashiram∙ Please use caution during your visit, as the sightseeing
route traverses dangerous spots such as roadways andnarrow mountain paths.

and Associated Sites
in the Munakata Region

5k

The Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region was
inscribed on the World Heritage list in July
2017. As you explore the property we ask
for your consideration and care in making
sure that this treasure for all humanity will
be protected for future generations.

14

Shimbaru-Nuyama
Mounded Tomb Group

Fukuma Sta.

Bus

This app indicates the location of thesacred island of Okinoshima, which is situated 60 km off the western coast of
Kyushu. The map function within the app
offers a multilingual introduction to thecomponent sites that make up this World
Heritage property and the specific points
from which Okinoshima is visible.

Okitsu-miya, Munakata Taisha

Nakatsu-miya, Munakata Taisha
Tagitsuhime-no-KamiJR
5 min.

Munakata
Roadside Station

MojikoHetsu-miya
Munakata

A Sacred Island

Mojiko IC

Nakatsu-miya

Konominato Hatoba (Pier)

Kokura Sta.
JR
40 min.

Okitsu-miya Yohaisho

Ferry 25 min.
Passenger Boats 15 min.

Koyajima

Tsushima Is.

60km

A

www.okinoshima-heritage.jp
Preservation and Utilization Council of “Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region”
Headquarters: World Heritage Division, Fukuoka Prefecture
Phone: 092-643-3162 Fax: 092-643-3163 E-mail: sekaiisan@pref.fukuoka.lg.jp

Illustration by Yoko Kitano
March 2018km

For additional details, please contact us as follows:

B

Oshima Is.

Shimonoseki

DC

Iki Is.

A Okitsu-miya, Munakata Taisha(Okinoshima, Koyajima, Mikadobashira, Tenguiwa)

48

Genkai Sea

E
Fukuoka

Fukuoka
PrefectureJapan

B Okitsu-miya Yohaisho, Munakata Taisha
C Nakatsu-miya, Munakata Taisha
D Hetsu-miya, Munakata Taisha
E Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb GroupOkitsu-miya, Munakata Taisha

Near the huge rock formations found at the centerof Okinoshima, several ritual archaeological sites
have been preserved almost untouched for morethan a thousand years. These rituals evolved
through four stages over a span of some five hundred years, during which active overseas cultural
exchanges with other polities in the region weretaking place. These important archaeological sites(Okinoshima, Koyajima, Mikadobashira, Tenguiwa)

Ancient Rituals and Overseas Exchanges
Changes in Okinoshima Ritual Sites
CE

400

Rock-top rituals

500

600

700

Rock-shadow rituals

1.

800

Partial rock-shadow
rituals

6.

Open-air rituals

4.

9.
3.

6. Sites 7 (right) and 8 (left) 7. Gold ring
8. Gilt-bronze harness 9. Shards of a cut-glass bowl

10.

5.

10. Site 22 11. Gilt-bronze miniature spinning and weaving tools

Hetsu-miya(Shimotakamiya ritual site)

Ichikishimahime-no-Kami

19.

The sacred island that forms the core of thisproperty. Rituals were performed here fromthe fourth to the ninth centuries, and many
ritual sites have survived intact to this day.
Place of worship on the northerncoast of Oshima that is linked to
the living tradition of venerating thesacred island from afar.

Three Female Deities
of Munakata

Nakatsu-miya, Munakata Taisha

Okinoshima and the Three Female Deities of Munakata

14. Site 1 15. Human-shaped steatite object
16. Boat-shaped steatite object
17. Horse-shaped steatite object
18. Nara-style tricolored small jar
19. Perforated pottery● Rock-top ritual● Rock-shadow ritual● Open-air ritual●Site 16●Site 18
●Site 17

Korea

●Site 20●Site 21

Okitsu-miya Shrine Buildings●Site 2Japan

Tenguiwa

Okinoshima

Koyajima●Site 8(owned by Okayama City Orient Museum)●Site 7
Approximately 80,000 ritual objects discovered through archaeological surveys have been collectively
designated as a national treasure, and include many items brought from overseas, including objects
from the Korean peninsula, mainland China, and even Persia (Iran).

Boat-shaped object
from Shimotakamiya

A site that preserves evidence concerning members of the ancient
Munakata clan, who performed
religious rituals on Okinoshima andsustained the living tradition of worshipping the sacred island.

Hetsu-miya, Munakata Taisha

11.

●Site 19

↑Cut-glass bowl excavated from IranBoat-shaped object
from Mitakesan

Okitsu-miya Yohaisho,
Munakata Taisha

Visitors to the island must purify themselves
by bathing naked in the sea, a Shinto ritual called misogi.

●Site 22

China

Tagitsuhime-no-Kami

Worship from afar

Okitsu-miya, Munakata Taisha(Okinoshima, Koyajima, Mikadobashira, Tenguiwa)

Shimbaru-Nuyama
Mounded Tomb Group

Nakatsu-miya(Mitakesan ritual site)

Shimbaru-Nuyama
Mounded Tomb Group● Partial rock-shadow ritual

Iran

Perform rituals

Visitors must not take anything from the island,
not even a twig, a blade of grass or a stone.

17.

16.

18.
4. Site 21
5. Iron ingots

Tagorihime-no-Kami

Boat-shaped object
from Okinoshima

Visitors must not speak of anything
they have seen or heard on the island.

15.

8.
13.

1 . Site 17
2. Mirror with tuo-dragon design
3. TLV mirror(Okinoshima ritual site)

Okinoshima Taboos

14.

12. Gilt-bronze miniature
pentachord
13. Fragments of Tang-styletricolored vase withelongated neck

Component Sites

Okitsu-miya

900

12.
7.

2.

reveal much about how people at that time prayedfor safe ocean voyages in a way that reflected theirnature-oriented faith.
The entire island constitutes the precinct ofOkitsu-miya, which is part of the Munakata Taisha
shrine complex, and the island has long been protected by taboos that prevent people from visiting
it, since it is known as a place where kami dwell.

●Site 6●Site 5

Mikadobashira●Site 1●Site 4●Site 3

Mitakesan Ritual Site

Okinoshima has long been viewed as a guardian deity of the sea
routes leading from the Japanese archipelago to the Korean
peninsula, and for this reason state rituals were conducted there
for centuries. From the latter half of the seventh century onward,
similar rituals began to take place on Oshima and Kyushu. Characteristic objects similar to those used in rituals on Okinoshima
have been discovered at the summit of Mt. Mitake, the highest
point on Oshima, and on the grounds of Hetsu-miya (theShimotakamiya ritual site) on Kyushu. The oldest historical
records in Japan, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) andNihon shoki (Chronicles of Japan), both compiled in the earlyeighth century, indicate that the Munakata clan performed rituals dedicated to the three female deities in these three places.
This tradition reflects the origin of the three shrines of Munakata Taisha, each of which enshrines one of the three deities.
The three female deities’ names are “Tagori” (or “Takiri”),
which means “fog”; “Tagitsu” which means “Swirling Tide,” and“Ichiki-shima” (or “Itsuki-shima”), which refers to the island
where the kami are enshrined. Perhaps the faith in three female
deities originated with the prayers for safe ocean voyages thatwere conducted on Okinoshima.

Place of worship on the main island of
Kyushu that originates from an ancient site
linked to Okinoshima rituals.

Place of worship on the island of Oshimathat originates from an ancient site linked
to Okinoshima rituals.

World Heritage Site Characteristics
Criteria (ii)

Criteria (iii)

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

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

The sacred island of Okinoshima exhibits important interchanges and exchanges amongst various polities in East Asia
from the fourth to the ninth centuries, which is evident fromthe abundance of objects discovered from a variety of origins
deposited at sites on the island where rituals for safe navigation were performed. The changes in object distribution andsite organisation attest to changes in the rituals, which in turnreflect the nature of the process of dynamic exchange that was
taking place during that period, when polities based on the
Chinese mainland, the Korean peninsula and the Japanesearchipelago were developing a sense of identity that substantially contributed to the formation of Japanese culture.

Okinoshima is an exceptional example of the cultural tradition of worshipping a sacred island, as it has evolved andbeen passed down from ancient times to the present.
Remarkably, archaeological sites have been preservedon the island virtually intact, and provide a chronologicalrecord of how the rituals performed there changed over a
period of some five hundred years. The worship of theisland continued in the form of devotion to the Three Female
Deities of Munakata at the three shrines of Munakata Taisha—Okitsu-miya on Okinoshima, Nakatsu-miya on Oshima, andHetsu-miya on Kyushu—in addition to the veneration of theisland itself from afar.

Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group
This group of tombs belongs to members of theancient and powerful Munakata clan, who conductedrituals on Okinoshima, and developed the early worship of the kami of Okinoshima into a broader faith in
the Three Female Deities of Munakata. A total of 41
tombs date from the fifth to the sixth centuries: five
keyhole-shaped tombs, thirty-five round tombs, andone square tomb. These burial mounds of various sizes
and shapes were built along a plateau that overlooks
low-lying farmland which was then a sea inlet, and

the Genkai Sea beyond. They seem to have been builtwith this view of the sea in mind (see image at lower left).
Keyhole-shaped and large round tombs are constructed in the central part of the plateau, with small to
medium-sized round tombs distributed nearby. The
keyhole-shaped tombs are associated with powerfulmembers of the Yamato state. This group of burial
mounds reveals much about the character of the powerful ancient Munakata clan, which expanded its influence by leading ocean voyages to the Korean peninsulaand conducting rituals on Okinoshima on behalf ofthe state.

Visitor Center

Camellia Stage Historical Museum

In addition to the Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded
Tomb Group, artifacts associated with the ancient
Munakata clan that have been excavated from thetombs in Fukutsu City are also on display.

Hours: 11:00–21:00
Closed Tuesdays andthe last Wednesday of every monthThis facility will remain open on national holidays,
but will be closed the following day.

1-7-2 Tsuyazaki, Fukutsu city
Phone: 0940-72-1207

Hetsu-miya, Munakata Taisha
Hetsu-miya, located on the main island of Kyushu, is oneof the three Munakata Taisha shrines dedicated to theThree Female Deities of Munakata. Ichikishimahime is
the main deity enshrined there.
The Shimotakamiya ritual site is situated on a hill overlooking a former sea inlet near the Tsurikawa River. The
existence of this site later led to the construction of theshrine buildings at the base of the hill. The descendantsof the Munakata clan, the family of the Munakata Daiguji(grand priest), prospered through foreign trade; and on
the grounds of Hetsu-miya, which was the headquarters of
the faith during the medieval period, they constructed
the primary shrine building (which is today the mainhall), and the secondary and tertiary shrines, all adjacent
to each other, important elements of which have survived
to the present day.
The main hall that exists today was rebuilt by the last
Daiguji, Munakata Ujisada, and the worship hall was
rebuilt by Kobayakawa Takakage, who governed Chikuzen
Province on Kyushu at the end of the sixteenth century.
Both buildings are designated as important culturalproperties.
One part of the Shimotakamiya ritual site is a ritualarea called Takamiya Saijo, where Shinto rituals are conducted in the open air (see image at upper right).

Nakatsu-miya, Munakata Taisha
Nakatsu-miya is one of the three shrines of Munkata
Taisha that are dedicated to the Three Female Deities of
Munakata. As a spiritual center for the people of Oshima,
it enshrines the deity Tagitsuhime.
A shrine was built on elevated ground at the foot of
Mt. Mitake, facing the sea, to carry on the traditions that
had originated with the Mitakesan ritual site at the summitof the mountain. Sixteenth-century textual sources confirm that by then there were two parallel shrines at thissite: Mitake Shrine at the summit of the mountain (theupper shrine), and Nakatsu-miya at the base of the mountain (the main shrine). Eighteenth-century drawings indicate a mountain path connecting the summit and base(see figure at right). The current main hall was rebuilt inthe seventeenth century, and has been designated as a tangible cultural property of Fukuoka prefecture.
The summit of Mt. Mitake offers a sweeping view of
the Genkai Sea, including Okinoshima and the islands of
Iki and Tsushima to the north. The view to the south is of
the main island of Kyushu, extending from Kitakyushu
City to the Fukuoka City metropolitan area. From here
one can directly experience the importance role that
Oshima has played in the history of marine traffic in
the region.

Takamiya Saijo

Visitor Center

Shimpo-kan Museum, Munakata Taisha

In addition to some 80,000 votive objects discovered on
Okinoshima that have been collectively designated a nationaltreasure, ancient documents and other cultural artifacts thatreflect the history of Munakata Taisha are displayed.

Hours: 9:00–16:30
Every day of the week
2331 Tashima, Munakata City
(Located inside of
the Hetsu-miya compound)
Phone: 0940-62-1311

Okitsu-miya Yohaisho, Munakata Taisha
This shrine is located approximately 48 kilometresfrom Okinoshima, on the northern coast of the islandof Oshima. The shrine faces in the direction of Okinoshima, and functions as a place from which to worshipthe island from afar. A shrine has been establishedhere since at least the early eighteenth century, and on
a cloudless day Okinoshima is clearly visible from thissite (see figure below). Devotees are generally notallowed to visit the island, and during the Edo period

Visitor Center

Oshima Koryu-kan(Oshima Cultural Center)

This facility offers displays and explanations about the deep
historical connection between Okinoshima and Oshima,
particularly regarding Nakatsu-miya and Okitsu-miya
Yohaisho as places of worship.

Hours: 10:00–16:00 daily
Closed Tuesdays

This facility will remain open
on national holidays, but will
be closed the following day.

Phone: 0940-72-2797“Drawing of Oshima” (section) included in
the Chikuzen-no-kuni zoku fudoki furoku, 1797
(owned by the Hiraoka family)
Okitsu-miya Yohaisho and Okinoshima (in the 1960’s)

Reconstructed image of original layout

F Takamiya Saijo

Recommended RouteG Tertiary Shrine

G Secondary Shrine

P

MuseumF Takamiya Saijo
D Worship Hall

ShrineP WC

and Worship Hall

Tertiary Shrines

10 min. (on foot)Gate

Convenience store

To Oshima

P

0

100m

300

N

To Nuyamaguchi ↑Neriwara Intersection
495

Conveniencestore

To Munakata

2

Tomb 24

Tomb 20am
Fuku

Tomb 22

Tomb 21

Tomb 25
Tomb 30

Tatezaki
ShrineMt. Omine

69

Osakana Center Umigame

N

0

200m

Duration: About 40 minutes

N

Fukutsu City
Cultural Center(Camellia Stage)
0

1000m

WC

Subordinate Shrine

m

shi
ago
JR K

92

Okitsu-miya Yohaisho, Munakata Taisha
020m
Manabe Inn

3

Mt. Konomi

Tebika Namikiri-fudo Tomb

Higashi Fukuma Station

Fukutsu City Hall

Fukuma Station

WC

541
To Mt. Mitake ↓Jingo Shrine

Oshima Ferry Terminal

Nakatsu-miya,
Munakata Taisha

Duration: About 20 minutes (on foot)Umingu Oshima

To Konominato Port

ina
l→

ine

N
Miyajidake
ShrineOshima Administrative Center
Sayoshima

From Main Hall of Nakatsu-miyato Summit of Mt. Mitake (alt. 224 m)

Shrine Building

Miyajidake Tomb

Ansho-in Temple

Mt. Mitake
Observation Deck

To
Ter
m

P

L
ain
aM

Togo Takatsuka Tomb

Mt. Araji

Tsuyazaki

Observation Deck

Munakata
City Hall

Togo Station

541

Worship Hall

Kengyu Shrine

Araji Tsurugizuka Tomb

Araji Exhibition Hall

Main Hall

Mitake Shrine

Ruins of Oshima Castle

Nuidono Shrine

528

TsuwaseWC

Shokujo Shrine

Taguma Ishihatake
Historical Park

Yume-no-Sayoshima Islet

Elementary andJunior High School

Temizu-sha

Ruin of Katawaki Castle

Yukue Otsuka Tomb

2. From the Camellia Stage, take a Fukutsu minibus
for 22 minutes, and get off at Showa Gakuen.

Showa Gakuen

Observation
Deck

iver
aR
aw
g
o

Oshima Koryu-kan(Oshima Cultural Center)

Mitakesan Iriguchi

P

Shrine Office

Hetsu-miya,
Munakata Taisha

Anzu-no-sato502

Shimbaru-Nuyama
Mounded Tomb Group

1. Take the Nishitetsu bus from Higashi-machi,
and get off at Nuyama-guchi.

Leisurely walking course (about 2 km)

Chinkoku-ji Temple
97

Take the Nishitetsu bus from Fukuma Station, andget off at Fukutsu-shi Bunka Kaikan-mae.

Tomb 34–43

WC P

495

Nuyama-guchi Bus Stop

From Fukuma Station Miyaji-guchi, take the
Fukutsu minibus for 24 minutes, and get off at
Showa Gakuen. The bus arrives at theobservation deck for the property.

Ama-no-manai
SpringSubordinate Shrine

Shimpokan Museum,
Munakata Taisha

Uminomichi
Munakatakan
MuseumMooring Stone

Take the Nishitetsu bus from Fukuma Stationfor 25 minutes and get off at Nuyama-guchi.
From there it is a fifteen-minute walk to arrivein the vicinity of Tomb 24.

To Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group
From Camellia Stage

541

WC

Oshima Community Center75

To Camellia Stage

528

WC

541

Sakurakyo Tomb

Katsuura Minenohata Tomb

AccessTomb 1(Hodaiato)

To Mitake Shrine↑

Munakata Roadside Station

Genkai Sea

Duration: About 30 minutes

city →

KashiroOkitsu-miya Yohaisho,
Munakata Taisha
Ruins of Canon Fort

Tsurikawa River

Leisurely walking course (about 1.3 km)

1

WC

N

Tomb of
Munakata Ujisada

Konominato
Ferry Terminal

To Konominato↓ ↓ To Uminomichi Munakatakan Museum

20m

0Satsuki Matsubara Beach

Museum

Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group← To

Okinoshima viewing spot

Prayer Hall

Munakata Taisha-mae
Bus Stop

To Nakatsu-miya main hall

Oshima Lighthouse

H Shimpokan

WC

Batei-iwa(lit. “rock with horse hoofprints”)

Mitake Shrine

Summit Area of
Mt. Mitake

Miura Grotto

Mounded tomb

C DivineA

Orihata Shrine

Former sea inlet

G Secondary andDirection of Okinoshima

500m

0

Direction of
Okinoshima

Observation Deck

KanezakiN

To Okitsu-miya
Yohaisho →WCP

588 Fukata, Munakata City
Phone: 0940-62-2600

D Main Hall

From Main Hall to Takamiya Saijo

B Temizu-sha

Direction of Okinoshima

This facility will remain open on national holidays,
but will be closed the following day.

D Main Hall

E Subordinate

In addition to a 3D movie theater that introduces
viewers to the experience of being on Okinoshima,
this facility offers an explanatory overview of theentire property.

Hours: 9:00–18:00 Closed Mondays
A Second

Torii Gate

H Shimpokan

Nakatsu-miya, Munakata Taisha

Uminomichi Munakatakan Museum

↓

Tsur
ikaw
aR

iver

Munakata
Gokoku Shrine

From Togo Station, take the Nishitetsu bus for ten
minutes, and get off at the Munakata Taisha-mae stop.

Am
an↑ To Togo Sta.

Visitor Center

Access

Hetsu-miya, Munakata Taisha

69(1603–1868) the Shinto rituals of Okitsu-miya were
often performed here instead.
The wives of Oshima fishermen traditionally offer
prayers here for their husbands’ safe fishing voyages to
Okinoshima. Today the Great Festival of Okitsu-miyais held there every spring and fall, and at that time theshrine’s doors and windows that are normally kept
closed are opened, and Okinoshima is venerated
from afar.

To Koryu-kan↓

WC P

Oshima Ferry Timetable
Service

From
Konominato

From
Oshima

1

7:40

6:50

2

9:25

8:35

3

11:15

10:15

4

13:50

13:00

5

15:30

14:40

6

17:10

16:20

7

19:00

18:00

OshimaLeisurely walking course (about 7 km)
Duration: About 2.5 hours
Bus route: Oshima sightseeing bus( 7 trips per day, running between the Ferry Terminal and the canon fort ruins)