Tagitsuhime no Mikoto

Tagitsuhime is the second of the three Munakata goddesses, enshrined at Nakatsumiya on Oshima Island. Positioned between the mainland and the remote Okinoshima, she guards the middle waters of the maritime route between Japan and the continent.

Her name has been interpreted as relating to rapids or swiftly flowing water (tagitsu), connecting her to the dynamic power of ocean currents. Together with her sisters, she forms a divine network of maritime protection spanning from the coast to the open sea.

As part of the UNESCO World Heritage designation of the Munakata sacred sites, the worship of Tagitsuhime on Oshima preserves ancient ritual traditions that illuminate the importance of maritime trade routes in the formation of Japanese civilization.