Munakata Taisha

Munakata Taisha (宗像大社) is the collective name for three Shinto shrines located in the city of Munakata, northern Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the head of the approximately 6,000 Munakata shrines all over the country. Although the name Munakata Taisha refers to all three shrines—Hetsu-gū, Nakatsu-gū and Okitsu-gū—it is commonly used to refer to Hetsu-gū alone. Hetsumiya is located in Tajima, Munakata City, and is also known locally as "Tajima-sama." Chikuzen-Oshima also houses the Okitsumiya remote worship site (Etsumiya). Nakatsumiya, 11 km from Hetsumiya, and Okitsumiya, 49 km away, are all located in a straight line on a map. One of Japan's oldest shrines, with its history recorded in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, it has served as a maritime route for politics, economics, and culture between the Asian continent and Korean peninsula since ancient times. While worshipped since ancient times as the god of maritime safety, today it is worshipped not only at sea but also on all roads, including land and traffic safety. Munakata Taisha is also home to many Japanese treasures. Hetsu-gū's honden (main shrine) and haiden (main prayer hall) are both designated Important Cultural Properties and the precincts are a Historic Site. The Shinpō-kan (神寶館), the shrine's treasure hall located on the east corner of Hetsu-gū's grounds, houses many important relics including six National Treasures of Japan. Over 120,000 artifacts housed in the Shinpō-kan were unearthed on Okinoshima.