Takamiya Saijo 高宮祭場（下高宮祭祀遺跡）

Official explanation

To the right of the main sanctuary of Hetsu-miya, a long stairway leads up to Takamiya Saijo, in a forest clearing. It is the ritual site where the Three Female Deities of Munakata are said to have first descended from the heavens. The site is a large square of flattened earth covered with small pebbles, with larger stones forming worship spaces. Tree branches on either side of the space meet to form a natural arched roof. Simple places of outdoor worship like this were common before the arrival of Buddhism in the sixth century. Sacred rituals have been conducted at this site and on Okinoshima and Oshima for over a thousand years. On the last day of the Grand Autumn Festival in October, the public can watch the rituals here, including sacred dances by shrine maidens.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.