News On Japan

Udo Shrine – origin myths in a cliff-side cave

Apr 27 (Japan Today) - MIYAZAKI - There are many reasons to visit Japan’s shrines. They are, of course, religious sites, often dedicated to particular guardian gods or to receiving prayers for particular purposes.

The shrine structures themselves are often of architectural interest and many are located on sites of great natural beauty, often selected based on principles of geomancy. The most ancient of shrines are also often associated with particular events in Japan’s history.

Udo Shrine, on the coast of Miyazaki south of Aoshima, ticks all of those boxes.

The shrine is the setting for one of Japan’s origin myths, the birth of Ugayafukiaezu, father of Japan’s mythical first emperor, Jimmu (711BC-585BC). As such, it is particularly associated with safe birth and healthy children. The shrine is also associated with protecting sailors and those who work on the water, but that is more likely related to its seaside location than its legendary origins.

The legend of Ugayafukiaezu’s birth is particularly interesting. His father was Hoori, also known as Yamasachi-hiko, a god of hunting. One day, Hoori and his brother Hoderi, also known as Umisachi-hiko, a god of fishing, decided to temporarily swap roles. Hoori, unfamiliar with fishing techniques, managed to lose his brother’s most prized fishhook. Vowing to retrieve it for his brother, Hoori plunged into the sea, where he found the world of Ryujin, the dragon-like god of the sea. He soon fell in love with Ryujin’s beautiful daughter, Princess Toyotama.

In his ardor, Hoori briefly forgot his earthly home, and the couple lived happily in an undersea palace. Eventually, though, Hoori became homesick, so he and the now-pregnant Toyotama returned to Kyushu. When the time came to give birth, Toyotama found a cave in a seaside cliff on the southeast coast of Miyazaki and began to build a "birthing hut" of cormorant feathers inside. As a creature of the sea, Toyotama would have to assume her true form (a kind of cross between a dragon and a crocodile) while giving birth, something she did not want Hoori to see. So she made him promise that he would not peek at her while she was giving birth. Alas, Hoori broke his promise. When Toyotama realized, she fled back to the sea in shame, leaving her newborn son, Ugayafukiaezu, in the cave. (For what it’s worth, the name Ugayafukiaezu roughly translates to “broken promise of cormorant feathers and thatch”.)

Udo Shrine is built inside that cave, a unique and fascinating location.

The cave is in a rocky cliff, about three stories above the jagged Nichinan coast. It is accessed by stairs leading down about three stories from the rest of the shrine grounds above. (There is no special access for mobility impaired visitors.) The cave is dominated by the ornately decorated red lacquer shrine building, but it is large enough to hold a number of smaller shrines as well. Visitors can walk all the way around the main shrine building to get a feel for the size of the cave.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A deepening labor shortage in Japan’s construction industry is beginning to impact homebuyers, with some experiencing delays of more than six months before construction can even begin due to a lack of available carpenters.

From April 1st, a new regulation took effect across Osaka Prefecture requiring all restaurants with a customer seating area larger than 30 square meters to become entirely smoke-free indoors—unless they install a designated smoking room. Establishments violating the rule face fines of up to 50,000 yen, while customers may be fined up to 30,000 yen.

The Imperial Household Agency launched an official YouTube channel on April 1st to introduce the activities of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

Japan's new fiscal year began on April 1st, with companies across the country holding entrance ceremonies to welcome new employees.

The Japanese government has released an updated damage forecast for a potential Nankai Trough megaquake, estimating that up to 298,000 people could die in the worst-case scenario. This projection reflects a slight reduction from the previous estimate of 332,000 deaths made 13 years ago.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

In response to a sharp rise in women soliciting prostitution on the streets of Osaka's Kita entertainment district, police and local authorities implemented countermeasures last year. But how effective have those measures been?

As Japan marks 80 years since the end of World War II, Angelita Oshiro, an 86-year-old second-generation Japanese woman living in Davao on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, was finally granted the restoration of her long-awaited Japanese citizenship on April 2nd.

Cherry blossoms are now in full bloom. On April 2nd, crowds gathered along the Okawa River in Osaka to enjoy the hanami season. While spring typically lifts spirits, this year’s celebrations come with a pinch.While moods may be rising, so are prices.

A fire broke out on the morning of April 2nd at a farm in Kamishihoro, a town in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, killing approximately 20 cattle housed in a barn.

A special unit dedicated to investigating "lone offenders"—individuals who commit acts of terrorism without belonging to any specific organization—has been established for the first time in Japan within the Public Security Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

The Imperial Household Agency launched an official YouTube channel on April 1st to introduce the activities of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

Downtown, the popular comedy duo, has stepped down as official ambassadors for the Osaka-Kansai Expo, according to an announcement by the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition.

A tour bus carrying over 20 foreign tourists collided with a van inside the Tokiwa Tunnel on the Dōō Expressway on March 31st, sending several people to the hospital.