Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region

Okinoshima lies about 60 km off the north-west coast of Kyushu, and from the 4th century to the end of the 9th century rituals were held there to pray for safe voyages. Over time the ritual sites moved from the tops of rocks to rock shelters, then to half-open ground and finally to open ground. The period was one of intense exchange between the Japanese archipelago, the Korean Peninsula and the Asian continent.

Three campaigns of excavation between 1954 and 1971 recovered about 80,000 votive objects from 22 ritual sites around the Okitsu-miya shrine. All of them are designated National Treasures, yet only about 30% of the ritual remains have been excavated. Offerings on the island itself ended in the 9th century, after which worship continued from afar, from Oshima and the Kyushu mainland.

The island became Okitsu-miya, part of Munakata Taisha, which worships the Three Female Deities of Munakata there, at Nakatsu-miya on Oshima and at Hetsu-miya on the mainland. Women are barred from the island, and for a long time about 200 men were allowed to land only on 27 May each year, but after inscription on 9 July 2017 landings by anyone other than researchers were banned from 2018. The property has eight components, including the Shimbaru-Nuyama mounded tombs linked to the Munakata clan.