Skip to content
Reference material on Japan's regions, culture and sightseeing / Please check opening days, prices and other details with the latest information from each source.

Value Village

Munakata Taisha

Fukuoka · Munakata · Shrines & Temples

Japanese name: 宗像大社

Save or plan with this entry
View on map →Plan an AI itinerary
Munakata Taisha
Photo: Saigen Jiro / CC0 · Source ↗
WHAT TO DOMunakata Taisha

Okinoshima is a deity in its entirety, and the public may not land there. More than 80,000 dedicated objects have been found on the island, many of them National Treasures. That it was a place for praying for safe passage to the continent survives as objects.

WHEREFukuoka

Munakata & Kasuya · Munakata

CHECK BEFORE YOU GOCheck before visiting

Check opening days, fees, reservations, photography rules and seasonal conditions with official information.

See it on Instagram

Hashtags made from this place's name. Japanese hashtags are shown as written so that they match posts on Instagram. Each opens the tag page on Instagram in a new tab.

Overview

Okinoshima is a deity in its entirety, and the public may not land there. More than 80,000 dedicated objects have been found on the island, many of them National Treasures. That it was a place for praying for safe passage to the continent survives as objects.

About this place

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.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Source ja.wikipedia.org ↗

Key facts

Founded:Unknown (ancient) Designation:National Treasure, World Cultural Heritage Site Lineage:Munakata and Itsukushima lineage (regarded as the head shrines of about 6,200 shrines nationwide) Blessings:Safe sea voyages, Traffic safety

Source ja.wikipedia.org ↗

Official website

Check the official website for current opening hours, fees and closing days.

Open the official website ↗

Source munakata-taisha.or.jp ↗

Before you go

Three questions from the World Question Box that relate to this entry.

Same place in other collections

More in Shrines & Temples

See all in this category

Check before you visit · References

The original sources are listed here. Confirm opening hours, whether visits are accepted, fees and access with the latest official information.

Crafts and specialties of this prefecture

Crafts & industrySpecialties & souvenirs

Written by Value Village from public sources. Nothing here is reproduced from another site. Languages: ja / en / zh

Instagram posts from Fukuoka (from official accounts)

There are no posts linked to this place yet. Posts from the prefecture's official accounts are shown, rotating every minute.