Sakurai Futamigaura is located in the northern part of Itoshima City and overlooks the Sea of Genkai. It is one of Fukuoka's representative scenic spots, selected as one of the "100 Best Shorelines of Japan," and is an essential stopover when driving around Itoshima.
The shrine has long been revered as the sacred site of Sakurai Shrine, which was founded by Tadayuki Kuroda, the second lord of the Fukuoka domain. The pure white torii gate towering against the blue sea is impressive. Floating about 150 m offshore from the coast is a married couple rock, an 11.8 m high male rock and an 11.2 m high female rock, connected by a large shimenawa sacred rope. It is the sacred body of Sakurai Shrine and was once said to be the "entrance to the Dragon Palace”. It is as famous as Futamiura in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, as a couple of rocks floating in the sea.
Futamigaura is a popular spot for photography, changing its appearance with the seasons, from the calm waters of spring to the rough waves of winter. The sunset view is so beautiful that it was selected as one of the "100 best sunsets in Japan." Especially around the summer solstice, when the sunset can be seen between the husband and wife rocks, the area attracts the largest number of tourists in a year. The spectacular view at night around November 16th of the lunar calendar, when the moon appears in the center of the rocks, is also worth seeing at least once.
Highlights
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While Futamiura in Ise is called "Futamiura at sunrise," this one is famous as "Futamigaura at sunset.
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The large shimenawa rope, which is tied to the couple's rocks at high tide from late April to early May, is about 30 meters long and weighs about 1 ton!
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The area is a popular driving course with a wide variety of stylish cafes and restaurants.
