NDLI: The Munakata Clan and the Munakata Faith in Ancient Japan

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The Munakata Clan and the Munakata Faith in Ancient Japan

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Copyright Year	2014
Abstract	The Munakata goddesses are a group of marine goddesses headed by the island goddess of Okinoshima, a landmark island in “Kaihoku.” These local goddesses are worshiped by the Munakata clan, who was based in the Munakata district of the former Chikuzen Province [the western part of present Fukuoka Prefecture]. The clan and goddesses had close relations with the Yamato kingly power, especially with the Emperor Jomei lineage under the international climate surrounding East Asia during the 7th century. This observation is supported by a number of pieces of evidence. These include (i) legends in Kojiki (the Records of Ancient Matters) and Nihonshoki (the Chronicles of Japan) about the birth of the Three Goddesses, (ii) the tales of the reigns of the Emperor Ōjin lineage in Nihonshoki, and (iii) the transfer of the divided spirits of the Munakata goddesses to the Kinai region [Kinai kanjō]. Even under the Ritsuryō System, the Munakata district remained the only Shingun (a land for deities) in Kyūshū and the Munakata clan served as both Gunji (the district administrator) and Kannushi (the Shintō priest)-an ancient form of rituals that embraced the unity of religion and politics that remained for centuries that followed. With its close association with the Sea of Japan route and its resemblance to Izumo-no-Omi [the Izumo clan, with “no-Omi” meaning the clan had a title “Omi,” one of the honorary titles for a clan] who served as both Kuni-no-Miyatsuko (provincial administrator with ritual duties) and Gunji, the Munakata clan even came to assert that they shared the same ancestor with the Izumo clan. The role of the Munakata clan as Kannushi changed in nature after the establishment of Gūji (the chief priest of a Shintō shrine) and Daigūji (the senior priest of Shintō shrine; the highest position of the Munakata Shrine), putting an end to the internal succession rite for the Kannushi on Okinoshima Island as performed in ancient times.
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
Alternate Webpage(s)	http://www.okinoshima-heritage.jp/files/ReportDetail_57_file.pdf
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

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