Motonosumi Shrine Nagato (Tunnel of 123 Vermilion Torii Gates on Ocean Cliff)

Category: Coastal Cliff Shrine & World-Famous Scenic Pilgrimage | Location: Yamaguchi

Perched dramatically along the rugged crags of the Mukatsuku Peninsula in Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, **Motonosumi Shrine** (*Motonosumi Jinja*) is universally celebrated as one of the most stunning and photogenic coastal sanctuaries in Japan. Consecrated in 1955 following an auspicious spiritual revelation bestowed upon a local fisherman named Hitoshi Okamura by a benevolent white fox deity (*Byakko*), the shrine stands as a guardian of safe ocean navigation, bountiful catches, and prosperous commerce. The site surged to worldwide fame after major international broadcaster CNN selected it as one of "Japan's 31 Most Beautiful Places." The sanctuary's most striking visual centerpiece is the sweeping serpentine tunnel of **123 Vermilion Torii Gates** (*Hyaku-nijū-san-ki no Torii*), erected painstakingly over a decade from generous offerings by faithful worshippers. Extending for over 100 meters, this vibrant crimson corridor snakes gracefully down lush emerald hillside knolls toward rugged sea cliffs, resembling an auspicious red dragon descending directly into the cobalt waves of the Sea of Japan. Strolling through the sunlit wooden colonnade yields an unforgettable visual harmony between radiant cinnabar red, verdant pines, frothing white surf, and the boundless blue ocean. At the edge of the jagged basalt promontory lies the geological wonder called **Ryugu no Shiofuki** (Dragon Palace Geyser), where ocean swells crash into sea-cavern fissures, propelling geysers of ocean spray up to 30 meters skyward like a rising water dragon. Furthermore, visitors delight in the playful challenge of **Japan's Most Difficult Offertory Box**—a fox-embellished wooden donation receptacle mounted atop a five-meter-high grand torii crossbeam near the exit. Folk belief holds that whoever successfully tosses a coin upwards into this lofty box will have their deepest heartfelt wishes granted.