Production year: 2017

Episode:  50 min. x 1 ep

Genre:  Documentary (world heritage)

Available Language :  EN sub 

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★World Media Festivals 2018 Intermedia-globe SILVER

 

Okinoshima soars from the sea between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. The island is believed to embody one of the three goddesses worshipped at the shrines of Munakata Taisha. For centuries, the Japanese people have looked toward Okinoshima with awe and respect, offering reverent prayer to its sacred divinity. It was, and still is, the site of national religious rituals. More than 80,000 artifacts, every single one of them a designated national treasure, have been found on the island. Okinoshima became a World Heritage site in July 2017. However, entry onto the island is strictly forbidden in principle. A lone priest watches over the island and rigid rules are still followed to this day. Not a single branch, blade of grass, or stone may be taken off of Okinoshima, and anything seen or heard on the island must stay on the island. What is it that made the ancients sense the divine in Okinoshima? What prompted them to make so many sacred offerings there? Photographer and author Shinya Fujiwara's fascination with Okinoshima and his artistic sense provide a unique perspective into the provenance of prayer on this island full of mystery.