Motonosumi Shrine – Red Torii Gates Above the Sea of Japan

On the rugged coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture, 123 red torii gates descend toward the deep blue waters of the Sea of Japan. This is Motonosumi Shrine, one of the most striking coastal landscapes in western Japan.

Unlike many famous Japanese shrines with histories stretching back for centuries, Motonosumi Shrine is relatively young. It was established in 1955. According to local tradition, a white fox appeared in the dream of a local fisherman and told him to establish a shrine in this place. Foxes have a special significance in Japanese culture and are closely associated with Inari worship, traditionally connected with prosperity, agriculture, fishing, and good fortune.

What makes Motonosumi Shrine unforgettable, however, is its landscape. Between 1987 and 1997, 123 red torii gates were dedicated to the shrine, forming a pathway stretching for more than 100 meters across the hillside toward the sea.

The scenery is defined by three powerful colors: the brilliant vermilion of the torii gates, the deep blue of the Sea of Japan, and the green vegetation covering the cliffs. Beyond the gates, there is almost nothing to interrupt the horizon — only the sea and the sky.

The coastline itself is equally dramatic. Strong waves from the Sea of Japan strike the rocky cliffs below, and nearby is a natural phenomenon known as Ryūgū no Shiofuki, or the “Dragon Palace Geyser.” Under the right sea and wind conditions, waves enter a cavity beneath the rocks and force seawater high into the air.

For visitors from overseas, Motonosumi Shrine offers a very different image of a Japanese sacred place. There is no vast ancient temple complex here, nor a large city surrounding it. Instead, the shrine seems to exist directly between the land and the sea. As you walk beside the red gates, the ocean is almost constantly visible beyond them.

Perhaps this is why the scenery is so powerful. The torii gates were made by people, while the cliffs were shaped by nature. Beyond both stretches the enormous Sea of Japan. It is a landscape where Japanese spirituality and the raw power of nature seem to occupy the same space.

Sometimes a sacred place does not need to be ancient. Sometimes the landscape itself gives it its power.

BRONZE MUSEUM JAPAN

photo : Supervisor K