The two rocks are joined by a 35-metre rope, rewoven by hand three times a year.
The two rocks of Meoto Iwa, ‘husband and wife’, rise from the sea in front of the shrine and are joined by a shimenawa (the sacred rope of braided straw) about 35 metres long: it is rewoven by hand three times a year, on 5 May, 5 September and one weekend in mid-December. Between late May and early July, with the most sought-after moment around the summer solstice, the sun rises exactly in the gap between the two rocks. Pilgrims heading to Ise once came to purify themselves on this beach before the great shrine.
The shrine venerates Sarutahiko Ōkami, deity of guidance and purification, and the two rocks in Futami-ura Bay as his manifestation. It is a traditional purification stop before the pilgrimage to Ise Jingū.
ℹ️ Open access to the shrine and the beach. From Ise-shi: CAN bus to Futami-iwa Higashi-guchi, a few minutes' walk; or 15 minutes' walk from JR Futami-ura Station. Free car park.
🚉 Matsushita · 17 min walk
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