The small island of Okinoshima, one of Japan's holiest sites, is of "outstanding universal value" to humanity, even though women are banned, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said today.
At a meeting in Krakow, Poland, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided to add the island to the list of the most valuable cultural sites in the world.
The Commission even went a step further by recommending to UNESCO's advisory body, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Landmarks), that, at Japan's suggestion, that status be extended to the entire "Munakata Taisha" temple complex, which also includes several other locations.
La isla sagrada de Okinoshima y sitios asociados de Munakata (Japan) fue declarada #World Heritage #WorldHeritage by @UNESCO_en #41 whc pic.twitter.com/fXS7b8j2uZ
— Nueva Museología (@NuevaMuseologia) July 9, 2017
The island of Okinoshima receives visitors only once a year, on May 27, the maximum number of them can be 200 and they can only be men who have previously been ritually washed in the sea. Only one Shinto priest lives on the island all year round.
Some participants in the debate at UNESCO had objections to the inclusion of the island in the heritage register because women are forbidden access, which represents discrimination, but the director of the World Heritage Center Mehtild Ressler replied that there is a precedent - Mount Athos in Greece, where women are also forbidden access .
The Japanese government immediately welcomed UNESCO's decision. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fumio Kishida, stated in a statement that the island is "unique and precious", that it has been a place of contact with other cultures since ancient times, and that numerous objects there bear witness to this.
Okinoshima is Japan's 17th landmark on the UNESCO list.
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