Okitsu Shrine

...The warm Tsushima Current keeps the island warm, and it is the northern limit of subtropical plants (34°15′ north latitude), where virgin forests of Chinese palm, Japanese laurel, and giant ostrich lilies flourish, and where the streaked shearwater lives. It is a key point on the sea route to the Korean Peninsula, and is home to the Okitsumiya Shrine of Munakata Taisha, as well as famous ritual remains from the 4th to 9th centuries. Women are not allowed in the sacred area of ​​the island, and since the lighthouse, which opened in 1921, was unmanned in 1973, only one priest, who takes turns living there every two weeks, resides there at all times, and all visitors perform a purification ritual before landing. ...

*Some of the terminology that refers to "Okitsumiya" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…対馬暖流の影響で暖かく，亜熱帯植物の北限(北緯34゜15′)でビロウ，ヒゼンマユミ，オオタニワタリなどの原生林(天)が茂り，オオミズナギドリが生息する。朝鮮半島への航路の要衝で宗像大社の沖津宮が鎮座し，4～9世紀の祭祀遺跡も著名である。全島神域で女人禁制が守られ，1921年開設の灯台が73年無人化されてからは2週間交代の神官1人だけが常住し，上陸の際はすべてみそぎをする。…

※「沖津宮」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報