Today I am moving around the central and southern parts of Miyazaki. The first place I visited was Aoshima Shrine. Aoshima Shrine is located on a small island off the southern coast of Miyazaki City, but in fact, this island was formed by the accumulation of shells after the uplifted seabed that occurred 2,400 years ago. The island itself is only about one kilometer around, so it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to walk, but its unique environmental features have long been associated with sea worship. This land also has deep ties to mythology.
It is connected to the legend of the descent of the tenson kōrin told in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. From Aoshima Shrine, if you head west toward the mountains, you will find Takachiho Peak on the border with Kagoshima. Here, Ninigi, the grandson of Amaterasu, descended, met the local kami Konohanasakuya-hime, formed a union, and had three children, which is where the story begins. The deity enshrined at this shrine is one of those three, Hohodemi, also known as Yamasachihiko. However, based on my ongoing research, I feel that this was already a sacred site of ancient maritime tribes before Hohodemi, and furthermore, that a Yayoi-style faith led by miko priestesses existed here.