Watatumi Shrine

Watatumi Shrine is an ancient shrine enshrined in an inlet of Asou Bay, which exemplifies Tsushima's ria coast, located in Toyotama-machi, Nii, Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture. It enshrines as its principal deities Toyotama-hiko and Toyotama-hime, sea deities (watatumi), and is said to have been founded in the Age of Gods, making it one of Japan's most historically significant shrines.

The most distinctive feature is that of five torii gates lined up in a straight line from the shrine's front toward the sea, two stand in the water. At high tide, the bases of the torii are completely submerged beneath the sea, creating a mystical sight as if the approach path continues from the sea into the sacred realm. Conversely, at low tide, the approach path to the torii appears, and one can walk along the seafloor and pass through the torii. While resembling Itsukushima Shrine in the Seto Inland Sea, it drifts a more ethereal atmosphere as it stands on Tsushima, an isolated island at Japan's northwesternmost point, in profound silence.

This shrine is also said to be the setting of the Japanese mythological tale of Yamasa-hiko and Umisa-hiko, a legendary site where Yamasa-hiko (Hikohowodemi-no-mikoto) lost a fishhook he had borrowed from his elder brother, visited the palace of the sea deity, and became bound to Toyotama-hime. The shrine grounds are dotted with numerous historical sites connected to mythology, including a mausoleum said to be the tomb of Toyotama-hime, a sacred well called Tama-no-i, and the Isora-ebisu stone (a natural stone with scale-like patterns).

The primordial forest spreading behind the shrine is covered with broad-leaved evergreen trees unique to Tsushima, such as koyamaki and sudajii, forming a precious ecosystem where subtropical and cool-temperate flora intermingle. Simply by walking through the shrine grounds, one can experience the sensation of being simultaneously immersed in the world of mythology and primordial nature.

Tsushima is strategically positioned approximately 50 kilometers from the Korean Peninsula, and has been a crucial gateway linking the continent and the Japanese archipelago since ancient times. Watatumi Shrine has continued to be the center of faith for those praying for safe voyage. Access is via high-speed ferry from Hakata Port to Tsushima's Izuhara Port or Hitakatsu Port, followed by about an hour's drive. Though it involves a somewhat distant journey befitting an isolated island, it has recently drawn numerous pilgrims from both domestic and international sources as a mystical sacred site worthy of visitation.