Tara (太 良 町), by the shore of the Ariake Sea, is the last village before entering Nagasaki prefecture. It’s known as “the village where you see the pull of the moon” because it has the highest tides in Japan!
When the tide is high, the three bright red torii of Ōuo-jinja Shrine seem to float on the surface of the water. When the sea recedes, the path to the gates is completely clear.
The powerful lunar effect at Tara means that the tidal range can vary by 6 metres. Because the torii deteriorate in the constant spray they are rebuilt around every 30 years. The current structures date from 2012. In August, during the Yukino festival, over 500 lanterns are lit to give a romantic feel.
Several shrines in Japan (Miyajima in Hiroshima, Shirahige in Biwa) also feature “floating” torii. But here in Saga the gates are an approach path for the sea gods rather than an entrance to the shrine.
Ōuo-jinja literally means “big fish shrine” and was built in the 17th century (shrine in 1682 and torii in 1693) by the Ishaya clan.
Legend has it that the villagers were annoyed by the corrupt local magistrate. In an attempt to get rid of him, they hatched a plot to invite him to so-called festivities on the nearby island of Okinoshima. After luring him there and getting him drunk, they abandoned him.
When the official woke up and realized that the tide was rising along the shore, he asked the sea gods for help. A giant fish came to his rescue. In grateful thanks he built the “big fish” shrine and the line of torii to mark the way to the island.
The island of Okinoshima is also famous for the legend of Oshima-san, a deity known as “Ongansan” who is said to have created the island: “Once upon a time, a god who was on an island shaved his hair and threw it into the sea, but the hair didn’t flow away and became an island just as it was”.
The island is an ancestral place of worship deeply rooted in the region, and even today women are forbidden to land there.
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