Motonosumi Shrine [Yamaguchi]

【Motonosumi Shrine summary】

Motonosumi Shrine has a short history and was erected in 1955, according to a sign from a white fox that appeared at the bedside of a local netter named Mr. Hitoshi Okamura. The shrine has long been worshipped by the local people, who may have worshipped this place and nature itself symbolically.

This shrine is not affiliated with the Jinja Honcho or the Yamaguchi Prefectural Jinja Agency, and is now “the personal property of the Okamura family” and appears to be positioned as a private business. The name was changed from “Motonosumi Inari Shrine” to “Motonosumi Shrine” in January 2019.

【Motonosumi Shrine torii corridor】

The 123 torii gates are 100 meters long and extend to the rocks near the shore. They look beautiful against the blue of the sky and sea and the dark color of the cliffs. Although the torii gates are sticky with red paint, they have become a popular spot in recent years due to the influence of social networking sites, and many visitors come from overseas.

There is a money-offering box in the center of the torii gate, and everyone was trying their best to make their wishes come true by throwing their money into the box. Many foreign visitors, especially from Asian countries, seemed to be enjoying the attraction, but it was noisy and passers-by could not get through because they were waiting for the right order to throw the money. The style of throwing money is unbearable to watch for me personally… There are many tourists with bad manners and it is unpleasant.

Many people seem to expect the shrine pavilion to be large, but there was a much smaller shrine (a small shrine) of Inari, which is much smaller in scale than the shrine pavilion. I think the stone statues on the left and right are more expensive.

【Motonosumi Shrine scenery】

I heard that it was selected as one of the “31 Most Beautiful Places in Japan” by CNN in the United States. The contrast of the blue sea, red torii gate, green trees, and rocks was very beautiful. For better or worse, this shrine is a tourist attraction. Perhaps in the past, this place was…

【Motonosumi Shrine Access】