Onokorojima Shrine

Onokorojima Shrine enshrines Izanagi and Izanami from Japanese mythology and has existed on Awaji Island since ancient times. The shrine is known and loved by the local people for its magnificent vermilion-lacquered Otorii (Grand Gate), which stands 21.7 meters high. The shrine is widely worshipped as a god of marriage and safe delivery, and many people visit the shrine to pray for safe delivery, the first visit to the shrine to pray for the growth of their children, and Shichi-Go-San mairi (pilgrimages to the shrine for the seven-five-three-year period). For those who have wishes related to match-making and child-rearing, it is recommended to pick up an amulet at this shrine.

Onokorojima Shrine Tourist Attractions

The three main attractions of Onokorojima Shrine can be summarized as follows.

• National Birthday Myth Traditions
• The Three Great Torii Gates of Japan
• Power Spot for Marriage

The place where the myth of the birth of the nation was handed down

Onokorojima Shrine is located in the ancient Mihara inlet and is said to be the sacred birthplace of Izanagi no Mikoto (Izanagi no Mikoto) and Izanami no Mikoto (Izanami no Mikoto).

The video above will deepen your understanding of Onokoroshima Shrine if you learn about the first part of Kojiki, the Japanese myth of the "birth of the nation". Please take a look.

Japan's three great torii (gate for shrine visitors)

Surrounded by a plain of onion fields, the giant vermilion Otorii (Grand Gate) stands out prominently at Onokoroshima Shrine, 21.7 m high and 31.2 m wide. This torii is one of the three largest torii in Japan, along with Heian Shrine and Itsukushima Shrine.

Power spot for marriage

Onokorojima Shrine is also known as a power spot for marriage. In particular, the Mineral Stone (sekirei-ishi) is known as the place where God opened the way for married couples, and is believed to be beneficial for matchmaking. The stone has a red and white rope fastened to it, and depending on how you hold the different ropes, you can pray for a new encounter or to strengthen your current bond.

Onokoroshima Shrine Facilities

When you arrive at Onokoroshima Shrine in Minami-Awaji City on Awaji Island, the symbolic Otorii (Grand Gate) is the first thing you will notice. The 21.7-meter high Otorii is also known as one of the three tallest torii in Japan.

Passing through the large torii gate and up a stone staircase is the Seiden (main hall). The Shoden is Shinmei-zukuri, in the same style as the Ise Jingu Shrine. Various prayers are held in the Shoden, including those for weddings, Shichi-Go-San (seven-five-three) ceremonies, and visits to the shrine.

On the east side of the main hall is a building where a sacred tree is enshrined. Looking inside, you will see a couple pine trees (koematsu).

On the west side of the main hall is the Yaoyorozu Shrine, dedicated to the male deity Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto. Further around the shrine is the Sanmiya Shrine (Osunasho). The salt sand at Jikojima Shrine comes from the salt that dripped when "Amano-no-numa-hoko" created the land of Oyasu. For this reason, pregnant women visit this shrine as a god of safe childbirth and pray for a safe delivery.

In front of the main hall is a sekirei-ishi (stone of wagtails). Legend has it that two deities, Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto, saw a pair of wagtails forming a conjugal bond on this stone in front of the main hall, and that this was the beginning of the birth of their child.

About 400 meters away from Onokoroshima Shrine, there are guides and stone monuments related to the Kojiki and the Chronicles of Japan, such as Amano-Ukihashi and Hashiwara-no-Kuni (Land of Reeds).

Outline of Onokorojima Shrine

Awaji Yumebutai Basic Information