An organization encompassing some 79,000 Shinto shrines in Japan has been rocked by the recent declaration by a key member shrine that it intends to leave the body, after years of distrust.
The Kotohira-gu shrine in Kagawa Prefecture, popularly referred to as Kompira-san, said in a statement dated June 5 that it would withdraw from the Association of Shinto Shrines, which directly names chief priests at major shrines and has offices in each prefecture.
Dedicated to sailors and seafaring and situated on a mountain, the centuries-old shrine is a major tourist draw in western Japan. Every year, millions of visitors climb its 785 steps to reach the main shrine and another 583 steps to the upper shrine.