Meoto-iwa
Meoto-Iwa ( Japanese 夫婦 岩 , literally: "Husband-Wife Rocks"), also called the Married Rocks , are a pair of small rocks in the Pacific Ocean, near the southeastern coast of Ise (formerly Futami ) in Mie Prefecture , Japan .
The two rocks are connected by a Shimenawa rope and are considered sanctuaries for the neighboring Okitama shrine , where the food goddess Miketsu is worshiped . In Shinto mythology, they represent the connection between the Kami Izanagi and Izanami , in a broader sense they also stand for the marriage of man and woman. The rope, which weighs over a ton, has to be replaced several times a year in a special ceremony. The larger rock, said to be male, has a small torii on its top. At low tide the two rocks are not separated by water.
The rocks and Okitama Shrine are located near the Great Shrine of Ise , the tallest shrine in the Shinto shrine .
List of other Meoto-Iwa
Although the married rocks in Ise Prefecture are by far the best known, there are a number of other rocks (pairs) in Japan with the same or similar names in the following locations:
- Samani , Hidaka Sub- Prefecture, Hokkaidō Prefecture : Oyako-iwa ( 親子 岩 )
- Kazamaura , Aomori Prefecture : Futami-iwa ( 二 見 岩 )
- Nakadomari , Aomori Prefecture
- Ninohe , Iwate Prefecture
- Ichinoseki , Iwate Prefecture: Meoto-iwa (formerly Senmaya ) and Futami-iwa ( 二 見 石 )
- Shika , Ishikawa Prefecture : Hatago-iwa ( 機具 岩 ), Noto-futami ( 能 登 二 見 )
- Nakatsugawa , Gifu Prefecture : Meoto-iwa ( 女 夫 岩 )
- Kōnan , Kōchi Prefecture
- Matsuyama , Ehime Prefecture
- Kurogi Prefecture, Fukuoka
- Shima , Fukuoka Prefecture
- Takeo , Saga Prefecture : O-iwa-Me-iwa ( 雄 岩 雌 岩 )
Remarks
Web links
Coordinates: 34 ° 30 ′ 33.7 ″ N , 136 ° 47 ′ 17.9 ″ E