Okinoshima Ritual Site - Okinoshima Ritual Site

These ruins are located on Okinoshima Island, which belongs to Munakata City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Okinoshima Island is an uninhabited island with a circumference of about 4km, 60km offshore from the coast of northern Kyushu, and is home to Munakata Taisha Shrine's Okitsumiya. There are Jomon and Yayoi life ruins, as well as ritual ruins from the Kofun period and the Nara to Heian periods. The ritual ruins in particular are found on or in the shade of huge rocks behind the Okitsumiya shrine in the middle of the island, and suggest both primitive religion and Ritsuryo rituals, making this a representative site for Japanese Shinto archaeology. There are four stages of ritual forms, I to IV, which follow a transition from rock-top rituals, rock-shade rituals, rock-shade and open-air rituals, to open-air rituals. In early rituals, the votive relics offered were the same as those found in the kofun relics, such as mirrors, magatama (curved jewels), and iron weapons, but in the Nara period rituals, the main items offered were Ritsuryo-style items such as miniature gilt bronze containers and textile tools. The ritual relics on Okinoshima are notable for the inclusion of imported relics such as gilt bronze horse equipment made in Korea, Tang sancai ware made in China, and cut glass bowls from Sassanid Persia, which suggests that national rituals were held there. Over 100,000 items have been excavated, all of which have been designated national treasures and are on display at the Munakata Taisha Shrine Treasure Museum (Munakata City), and replicas of some of the ruins and relics are also on display at the National Museum of Japanese History (Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture).

[Yumiba Noritomo]

In 2017, the entire island of Okinoshima was registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as one of the constituent assets of "The Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region."

[Editorial Department, July 19, 2017]

"Munakata Taisha Shrine Reconstruction Promotion Association (ed.) Published: Okinoshima, Continued Okinoshima, Munakata-Okinoshima (1958, 1961, 1978)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

福岡県宗像(むなかた)市に所属する沖ノ島（沖島）にある遺跡。沖ノ島は、九州北部の沿岸地域から60キロメートル沖合いにある周囲約4キロメートルの無人島で、宗像大社沖津宮(おきつみや)を祀(まつ)っている。縄文・弥生(やよい)の生活遺跡と、古墳時代、奈良～平安時代の祭祀遺跡があり、とくに祭祀遺跡は、島の中腹部にある沖津宮社殿の背後の巨岩群の岩上や岩陰にあり、原始宗教と律令(りつりょう)祭祀の両形態の祭祀がうかがわれ、日本の神道考古学の代表的な遺跡である。Ⅰ～Ⅳの4段階の祭祀形態があり、岩上祭祀、岩陰祭祀、岩陰・露天祭祀、露天祭祀という変遷をたどる。奉献遺物も初期の祭祀では鏡、勾玉(まがたま)、鉄製武器など古墳遺物と同じものを奉献しているが、奈良時代の祭祀では金銅製のミニチュアの容器や紡織具など律令的な奉献品が主体となる。この沖ノ島の祭祀遺物で特徴的なものは朝鮮製の金銅製馬具類や、中国製の唐三彩、ササン朝ペルシアの切子(きりこ)ガラス碗(わん)など舶載遺物があることで、国家的な祭祀が行われたと考えられている。出土品は約10万点余あり、すべて国宝に指定され、宗像大社神宝館（宗像市）に展示され、国立歴史民俗博物館（千葉県佐倉市）でも遺跡・遺物の一部がレプリカ（複製品）展示されている。

［弓場紀知］

　2017年（平成29）には、沖ノ島全体が「『神宿る島』―宗像・沖ノ島と関連遺産群」の構成資産の一つとして、ユネスコ（国連教育科学文化機関）の世界遺産の文化遺産（世界文化遺産）に登録されている。

［編集部　2017年7月19日］

『宗像大社復興期成会編・刊『沖ノ島』『続沖ノ島』『宗像・沖ノ島』（1958、1961、1978）』

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