Okinoshima Island still maintains a law against women with many theories such as Shinto religion, menstruation pollutes the sacred place or the journey to the island is very arduous so women and children are not allowed to go.
Okinoshima , a remote island in the Genkai Sea in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, is a Shinto domain, and still retains many ancient laws. Among them is a controversial law that “forbids women to step foot on the island”.
The whole island is considered a sacred place. There are mainly monks working in the Okinoshima Shrine, which is part of the larger Munakata Grand Shrine.
Pictures of tourists going to the island and performing ceremonies at the shrines. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Indiana).
The island rarely has visitors. Men are allowed access once a year on May 27, to attend a festival to “comfort the spirits” of Japanese and Russian soldiers who died in battle in 1905. This occasion only recruited 200. man to come here.
Anyone who is allowed on the island must follow the following rules (no exceptions): Do not tell anyone about what you have seen or heard on the island, cannot take anything away from even a blade of grass or grass. a stone, upon arrival at the island must purify the body in the sea (naked and immersed in sea water up to the neck).
Monks still enforce a ban on women today, although it is not fully understood why this ban exists. Ryo Hashimoto, a writer for Japan Times, said: “There are many reasons for the ban on women, but most believe that menstruation will pollute the sacred place .” Shinto religion considers blood to be impure, unclean. Others believe that if a woman comes to the island, the goddess worshiped here will get angry.
Another reason is that the journey to the island is very dangerous , women are not allowed to go to protect themselves as well as the children often bring. Okinoshima was located on important trade routes between Japan and the Korean peninsula from the 4th to 9th centuries.
Over the centuries, Okinoshima had 100,000 items.
Seafarers often stop at the island to pray for the protection of the gods and make offerings with precious beads, mirrors and swords. Over the centuries, Okinoshima has had up to 100,000 items, mainly gold rings, bronze jewelry, most especially sankakuen shinjukyo (a triangular bronze mirror decorated with many animals). 80,000 items of which are now national treasures. This is probably part of the reason why Okinoshima Island is on the list of UNESCO heritage nominations to be reviewed next July.
Many opinions are against Okinoshima accepting only men. A Hindu group last year asked UNESCO to refuse to consider the island a heritage site unless the law banning women was lifted.
Although the island may be on the heritage list, many people still think it will never change. A representative in Munakata Taisha told Mainichi Daily: “We still keep our rules even if this place is a world heritage site and maintain strict control of visitors to the island.”
According to the Japan Times, the Fukuoka government is considering a solution that is to build a center for visitors to learn about the island without having to come here.