The Mysterious World Heritage in Japan Episode 1：Munakata Taisha Shrine ～Hetsu-miya～
The Mysterious World Heritage in Japan Episode 2：Munakata Taisha Shrine ～Nakatsu-miya～
The Mysterious World Heritage in Japan Episode 3：Munakata Taisha Shrine ～Okitsu-miya～
The Mysterious World Heritage in Japan Episode 4：The Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group
The Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region
World Heritage “Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Accociated Sites in the Munakata Region”
PROJECT MUNAKATA
HOKUSAI ✕ The Sacred Island of OKINOSHIMA and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region
Study report
The Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region（January 2016）Simon KANER
In this report,Okinoshima ritual activities are discussed based on the latest findings in ritual archaeology and a new field called religious archaeology.Okinoshima rituals are deeply connected to primitive rituals using"mountains"and"island"as a core, and it is of great significance that rituals were performed on such an isolated island.Okinoshima Island played an important role in the borders of Japan and in promoting exchanges between Japan and the East Asian continent.Furthermore, Okinoshima rituals having continued until now are valuable evidence that tell us how ancient rituals have been interwoven into current ritual activities and how rituals have been restored.
Okinoshima Viewwd from State Formation Werner STEINHAUS M.A
The aim is to examine a possible link between Okinoshima and state formation processes in the Japanese archipelago. It draws on research mainly by European scholars focusing on comparable issues in Early Central and Northern European History, which is marked by an ongoing debate about the relative value of archaeological sources and written records. The aim is to shed light on the relationship of religion and ritual to power and state formation. Rituals are closely tied to religion and cult and therefore play an important role in state formation processes. Their function is to help stabilize and consolidate social and political systems, particularly in early societies. With regard to ritual and religion as factors in the process of state formation, we must also take into account the fact that universalizing secondary or book religions, such as Buddhism, developed a far greater influence than primary religions like the uncodified indigenous beliefs and practices of the Japanese archipelago.
