page_title: Okinoshima (Fukuoka)
section_title: Munakata Taisha Okitsu shrine
hierarchical_section_title: Okinoshima (Fukuoka) / Munakata Taisha Okitsu shrine
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: 沖ノ島海水禊
context_page_description: Okinoshima is an island, part of the city of Munakata, Fukuoka, Japan. It is considered sacred land by the local Munakata Taisha. The island's population consists of a single employee of the shrine. He is one of about two dozen Shinto priests who spend 10-day intervals on the island, praying and guarding against intruders.
  The entire island is considered a shinto kami, and the island is off limits to women. For centuries, only 200 men were allowed on the island on one day each year after they had "purified" themselves in the surrounding sea.
  The island covers area of 97 ha and has maximum elevation of 244 m.
context_section_description: The Okitsu-gū shrine is located at the southwestern portion of Okinoshima. It was established in the mid 17th-century. Prior to the shrine's establishment as a sacred natural site, the surrounding site served as a location for the worship of the kami. The shrine has been maintained in relatively the same condition since the Shōwa period 1932, prior to which, it had undergone repair and rebuilding several times.
caption: Ritual purification (Naked in the sea)
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