Nakiri Shrine, located at 1 Nakiri, Daio-cho, Shima City, has long been loved as a local deity where prayers are offered for safety at sea, bountiful catches, and peace in the region.
The shrine's crest is a diamond-shaped flower. The spacious grounds of the shrine, measuring 4,505 square meters, are filled with pure air and warmly welcome visitors.
There is also a happy custom in the temple grounds where worshippers are given one ceramic heart as a talisman, and it is popular as a memento of their trip.
The Waraji Festival, held every September, is also a traditional event that represents Nakiri Shrine.
This dynamic festival involves pulling giant straw sandals across a stage and then releasing them from the beach into the sea, and has been designated an intangible folk cultural asset of Mie Prefecture as "Nakiri no Warajihiki."
This festival originates from a legend that says that when villagers (or Iyagami) were troubled by the evil deeds of a giant named Daidarabocchi who lived on the island of Daiojima off the coast, the villagers made large straw sandals and showed them to Daidarabocchi, frightening him and causing him to run away.
It is imbued with the wisdom and prayers of a region that has lived side by side with the sea.
Nakiri Shrine is also close to Daiozaki Lighthouse and is recommended as a walking route.
Why not spend some quiet time here, experiencing the history and culture of Shima?
