UNESCO WHS - Hetsu-gu, Munakata Taisha Postcard

UNESCO WHS Serie - Title: Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region - 神宿る島」宗像・沖ノ島と関連遺産群 Subtitle: Hetsu-gu, Munakata Taisha - 宗像神社境内 辺津宮 Description: Located 60 km off the western coast of Kyushu island, the island of Okinoshima is an exceptional example of the tradition of worship of a sacred island. The archaeological sites that have been preserved on the island are virtually intact and provide a chronological record of how the rituals performed there changed from the 4th to the 9th centuries. In these rituals, votive objects were deposited as offerings at different sites on the island. Many of them are of exquisite workmanship and had been brought from overseas, providing evidence of intense exchanges between the Japanese archipelago, the Korean Peninsula and the Asian continent. Integrated within the Grand Shrine of Munakata, the island of Okinoshima is considered sacred to this day. Munakata Taisha is a collection of 3 Shinto shrines: Hetsu-gū, Nakatsu-gū and Okitsu-gū. As documented in Japan's second oldest book «Nihon Shoki», the shrines are devoted to the 3 Munakata goddesses. UNESCO Information: Name: Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region - 神宿る島」宗像・沖ノ島と関連遺産群 Site: Hetsu-miya, Munakata Taisha - 宗像神社境内 辺津宮 Country: Japan Location: Okinoshima Island, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu Region Inscription: 2017 Category: Cultural (ii)(iii) Unesco Ref: 1535-007 Special Feature: The card has a QR-Code on the backside to navigate for more Informationas about the side.