Mekari Shrine
A shrine at the northernmost tip of Kyushu whose halls were built by Ashikaga Takauji and Ouchi Yoshihiro. Its deities are believed to bring traffic safety, safe childbirth, and prosperity for descendants.
Basic information｜Mekari Shrine
A shrine at the northernmost tip of Kyushu whose halls were built by Ashikaga Takauji and Ouchi Yoshihiro. Its deities are believed to bring traffic safety, safe childbirth, and prosperity for descendants.
Details
- Opening hours
- Mon09:30–17:00Tue09:30–17:00Wed09:30–17:00Thu09:30–17:00Fri09:30–17:00Sat09:30–17:00Sun09:30–17:00
- Business status
- Open
- Official website
- Link
- Phone
- +81 93-321-0749
- Wheelchair accessible
- Yes
Traveler highlights
Mekari Shrine stands beside the Kanmon Strait in Moji, Kitakyushu. Tradition says it was founded in 200 CE and has long served as a guardian shrine for the strait and seafarers. Its best-known rite, Mekari Shinji, takes place at dawn on New Year’s Day of the lunar calendar: priests gather wakame seaweed at low tide and offer it to the deity while praying for safe voyages and a good catch. Records of the ritual span more than a thousand years. The current sanctuary was rebuilt in 1767 by the lord of the Kokura domain, and the grounds also hold a sea lantern and stone monuments. Visiting along the strait lets you feel how tides, harbor life and ritual traditions intertwine in Moji’s maritime faith.
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