User:Immanuelle/sandbox/Munakata Faith

The Munakata Faith is the Faith that worships the three goddesses of Munakata

munakata clan
The Munakata clan are a Japanese clan that runs Munakata Taisha. They had advanced sailing skills. They are said to have the same origins as the Izumo clan but care for the daughters of Susanoo instead of him.

They are buried in Tsuyazaki Kofun Cluster#Shinbaru-Nuyama Kofun Cluster.

The clan had close ties with the Imperial family, engaging in intermarriages to establish alliances throughout the continent. Despite Japan ceasing its diplomatic missions to China, the Munakata Clan maintained trade with continental partners, asserting control over maritime trade and rights.

Now, only shrine priests live on Okinoshima, an island with a large stone altar. From 1954 to 1972, research on the island found ancient ceremonies and objects in rocks, dating from the fourth to the ninth centuries. These discoveries helped understand early Shinto rituals and worship.

Archaeologists on the island uncovered over 100,000 artifacts, from Japan and places like China, Korea and Iran. Many are National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties. There are rules against talking about Okinoshima or taking anything from it.

Origins
The origins of the clan are unclear. Some sources say they descend from the traditional Kuni no miyatsuko of the region of a common origin with the Izumo clan, and others say they are a cadet branch of the Imperial family.

Takiribime is described as marrying Ōkuninushi which links them in with the Izumo clan in myth.

If they were originally Kuni no miyatsuko and took on a priestly role at Munakata Taisha, they share this history with the Aso clan of Aso Shrine, the Owari clan of Atsuta Shrine, the Izumo clan of Izumo-taisha, the Amabe clan of Kono Shrine, and the Yamato no Kuni no Miyatsuko of Ōyamato Shrine.

The confusion may be due to an early interbreeding of them with the Imperial house. 宗像氏

Relationship with Izumo
The origins of the Munakata clan, are not mentioned in the Kojiki or Nihon Shoki. The Kujiki provides the origin, stating that the Munakata clan was descended from Ōkuninushi through Atada-Katasumi-no-Mikoto. This connection suggests a descent from Ōkuninushi, despite the deity being a god rather than a goddess, indicating possible later interpretations.

The Munakata clan claimed Izumo lineage, reflected in legends such as the birth of the Three Goddesses of Munakata from the ukei between Amaterasu and Susanoo, and the marriage of Ōkuninushi to Takiribime, who resided in Munakata Okutsu-Miya.

Similarities between Munakata and Izumo include administrative and religious roles, as seen in the analogy between the administrators of Munakata district and Ou district, and the Kokuzo of Munakata and Izumo. The Nihonshoki recounts an episode during Emperor Sujin's reign where Izumo-Furune, responsible for a sacred treasure, is involved in a fratricidal conflict, linking Tsukushi Province (Munakata district in Chikuzen) with Izumo Province.

Munakata Taisha is the only shrine in the Engishiki on the coast of the Sea of Japan. This area contains archaeological sites with burial mounds similar to those in northern Kyūshū, suggesting a connection or settlement by people from the Munakata region.

There as a trade route from Munakata to Tsuruga, which stopped in Izumo, which was important for controlling Japan. The Okinaga clan from Ōmi Province may have sailed on this route, explaining the imperial family's focus on sea traffic and Kyūshū during the 7th century.

Shinbaru-Nuyama Kofun Cluster
The Shinbaru-Nuyama Kofun Cluster was constructed in the mid-late Kofun period, from the late 5th century to the late 6th century. In 2017, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the constituent assets of the Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region. It was the only portion of the Tsuyazaki Kofun Cluster to be included in the World Heritage Site designation. The Shinbaru-Nuyama cluster consists of five keyhole-shaped tumuli, one square tumulus, and 41 round tumuli, all of which are serially numbered. In addition, records indicate there were 18 other burial mounds that have lost due to the excavation of surrounding paddy fields. At the time the tumuli was built, there was an inlet on the west side of the hill, but it gradually receded, and in the Edo period it was reclaimed and turned into a salt field, and after the Meiji period, it became a paddy field. There are reservoirs scattered around the tumulus group, but these were built for irrigation in the early modern period and have nothing to do with the tumulus. The hilly area is divided by Japan National Route 495. The basalt used in the stone burial chambers of the kofun was transported by ship from Ainoshima in the Genkai Sea.