Munakata Taisha
宗像大社
The core shrine of the World Heritage "Island of Gods Munakata and Okinoshima" site, the head shrine of Munakata shrines across Japan and famous for traffic safety protection.
Munakata Taisha consists of three shrines: Okitsu-gu on Okinoshima, Nakatsu-gu on Oshima, and Hetsu-gu on the mainland. It enshrines the Munakata Three Goddesses, daughters of Amaterasu. It is the head shrine of roughly 6,000 Munakata shrines nationwide, and in 2017 it was inscribed as part of the World Heritage property "Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region" under the name "Island of Gods Munakata and Okinoshima." Visitors usually worship at Hetsu-gu. Its main sanctuary and worship hall are Important Cultural Properties, and behind them the Takamiya Matsuriba preserves an ancient open-air ritual site. The Shinpo-kan (Treasure Hall) displays about 80,000 National Treasures excavated from Okinoshima. The shrine is free to enter; the Treasure Hall costs about 800 yen. It's about a 12-minute bus ride from JR Togo Station and about an hour from Kokura, and you can make a side trip to Miyajidake Shrine. Okinoshima is closed to general visitors, but you can take a ferry to Oshima to worship at Nakatsu-gu from afar.
Opening hours
6:00 am–5:00 pm (Shenbao Hall 9:00 am–4:30 pm)
Nearby sights
- Kawachi Fujien Wisteria Garden
- Mount Sarakura
- Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History & Human History
- Former Imperial Steel Works Head Office Viewing Space
- TOTO Museum
- Kokura Castle
- Tanga Market
- Kitakyushu Manga Museum